{"id":120,"date":"2021-01-11T02:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-10T18:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=120"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T06:24:07","slug":"tallest-tropical-tree-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/tallest-tropical-tree-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tallest Tropical Tree in the World (Updated)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Higher than the Statue of Liberty of the US, the tallest tropical tree in the world is a 100.8-Metre-tall (330.7 feet) Yellow Meranti tree (species: Richetia faguetiana<\/em>) in Danum Valley of Sabah<\/strong>, the Malaysian Borneo. It\u2019s only 15 meters shorter than the world’s tallest tree, Hyperion, the 115.92-meter-tall (380.3-foot) coast redwood in California\u2019s Redwood National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Climbing<\/a>
Climbing the Menara, the tallest tropical tree in the world. Photo by Unding Jami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As the first and only recorded tropical tree that exceeds 100 Metres, this tallest tropical tree is named \u201cMenara\u201d, which means Tower in the Malay<\/em> language.<\/span> Menara is also the tallest flowering plant on earth. In 2014, it was spotted on a 33-degree angled slope by a laser scanner of an airplane that surveyed the rainforest of Rhino Ridge near Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Aerial<\/a>
Aerial shot of Menara from a drone. The tree crown of Menara is 40 Metres wide (131 Feet). Photo by Alexander Shenkin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On 6 January 2019, to get the most accurate height reading, a team of professional tree climbers hiked up to a slope of 436-Metre above sea level to locate Menara. The team leader Unding Jami (Jamiluddin bin Jami) must climb up to the tree top and used tape measure to take the measurement from the top of the crown to the lowest part of the buttress.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Tape<\/a>
Tape measure from the tree top. This manual method can provide the most accurate tree height. Photo by Unding Jami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The long straight stem posed a challenge, so Unding Jami took almost 3 hours to reach the top. The operation can be risky. There was one time Unding Jami climbed another flowering Dipterocarp and got 200 stings by a swarm of bees. Anyway, it made his day to confirm that Menara is the new record breaker of the tallest tropical tree in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Height Comparison with Famous Landmarks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To get an idea of the scale of this towering tree, let\u2019s have some fun comparing it with some well-known objects.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Diagram:<\/a>
Height comparisons of Menara (100.8 Metres) with New York City\u2019s Statue of Liberty (93 Metres), London\u2019s Big Ben Clock Tower (96 Metres), Tun Mustapha Tower (122 Metres), and the Tallest Tree (115.92 Metres)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Past Record Holders of the Tallest Tropical Tree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All the past record-breakers are Yellow Meranti trees in first class forest reserve of Sabah.<\/strong> In fact, this is the fourth time Sabah has broken its record for the tallest tropical tree in the world. Though these trees are no longer the titleholder, they are still ranked as the top 20 in the list of the highest trees in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 2018: 96.9M (318 Feet)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Discovered on 28 May 2018<\/a>, this 96.9-Metre tree is about 9.5 Kilometre (5.9 Miles) from the entrance of Tawau Hills Park<\/a>, a national park in Tawau. Tawau Hills Park is a popular place for swimming, bird-watching, hiking and hot springs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Menara,<\/a>
Yellow meranti tree (species: Richetia faguetiana<\/em>), is locally known as Seraya Kuning Siput (Local dialect: katutan). Photo by Unding Jami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nov 2016: 93.0 Metres (305 Feet)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Known as \u201cLahad Datu\u201d, this tree is located near the Ulu Purut Research Station (UPRS) Camp, about 7 Kilometres (4.35 Miles) east of the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC). Most media reported its height as 94.1 Metres (308.7 Feet), an estimated height by laser sensor. About 3 months later, an expedition team visited the tree. They carried out more precise measurements using a tape measure and confirmed that the average height of Lahad Datu<\/em> is 93.0 Metres.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Left:<\/a>
Left: Lahad Datu tree with the people at its bottom. Right: Looking at the Lahad Datu tree from a helicopter. Photo by Robin Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jun 2016: 89.5 Metres (294 Feet)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In April 2016, conservation scientists from the University of Cambridge discovered this giant tree<\/a> during reconnaissance flights over the east side of Maliau Basin (Sabah\u2019s Lost World). However, this record only lasted for four months when another taller tree was found in Danum Valley<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Professional<\/a>
Unding Jami is measuring the tree. He is too high above to hear anything from the ground, so his team can only communicate with him by phone. Photo by Stephanie Law<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jul 2006: 88.32 Metres (289.8 Feet)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This tropical tree was reported by Dr. Roman Dial of the University of Alaska in National Geographic Magazine (July 2006 edition) and held the title of the tallest tropical tree for nearly 10 years. It is also the most photographed by the public because it\u2019s only a 900-Metre walk away from the entrance of Tawau Hills Park, which Sabah Parks manages.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/a>
This Yellow Meranti tree in Tawau Hills Park is the longest record holder (Jul 2006 – Jun 2016) of the Tallest Tropical Tree in the world. At that time, people thought 90 Metres was the height limit of tropical trees until they discovered the 100.8-Metre-tall Menara in 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Another beautiful tall tree in Tawau Hills Park is also worth mentioning. It\u2019s a 85.76-Metre-tall (281.4 Feet) Menggaris tree (species: Koompassia excelsa<\/em><\/a>), <\/em>nicknamed as Pontiankak Putih Cantik<\/em> (Pretty White Pontiankak in English). It is the world\u2019s tallest legume (its fruit is edible).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Left:<\/a>
Left: 85.76-Metre-tall Menggaris tree (Pontiankak Putih Cantik). Photo by Brett Mifsud, Right: Menggaris tree (species: Koompassia excelsa) is also a Borneo tree famous for its freaking height. Note the little man next to it.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Interesting Facts about Richetia faguetiana<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n