Monkey Cup Garden, Penang Hill

Pitcher plant at Monkey Cup Garden, Penang Hill (26 January 2012)


The Monkey Cup Garden (GPS: 5.41651, 100.26131) is a nature attractions on Penang Hill. A garden specializing in pitcher plants or Nepenthes, it was started on 20 November, 2011 by an ardent pitcher plant enthusiast. In 2016 the garden was relocated to a different site, about 2 kilometers from the Hilltop Station.

The Monkey Cup Garden celebrates the pitcher plant, which is often called monkey cup due to the notion that monkeys are fond of drinking from the pitchers. These are carnivorous plants with mechanisms to trap prey, mostly insects.

The cool climate of Penang Hill is ideal for setting up this exotic garden. The Monkey Cup Garden attempts to faithfully recreate the habitat of pitcher plants, some of which are found growing among mosses. Other plants found in the pitcher plant ecology, such as ferns, orchids and shrubs are also planted.

A Nepenthes pitcher with a pronounced lip or peristome (26 January 2012)


According to the Monkey Cup Garden poster, it has about a hundred different species of pitcher plants whose distribution cover Southeast Asia, North Australia, South China, the Seychelles and Madagascar.

Those who are interested in pitcher plants should pay a visit to the Monkey Cup Garden as soon as possible, while the place is still so well maintained, and the pitcher plants are at their prime condition. Apart from the Nepenthes, other carnivorous plants are also grown here including the Venus Flytrap and the Sarracenia. Enthusiasts can also purchase pitcher plants at the garden shop. Books and other material related to pitcher plants are also on sale.

Pitcher at the Monkey Cup Garden, Penang Hill (26 January 2012)


On this page I showcase some of the photos my wife and I shot there.

Getting there

The garden is located about 1.5 km from the Penang Hill Police Station. Those walking from there can reach the garden in about half an hour. There are signages to tell you how far still to cover. To reach the garden, take the path off Jalan Tuanku Yahya Petra in front of Moy Craig.

The pre-launch promotional entrance fee to the Monkey Cup Garden is RM5.00. The garden is open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Contact

Monkey Cup Garden
Jalan Tuanku Yahya Petra,
Penang Hill, Penang
Email: monkeycup.pghill@gmail.com

The Monkey Cup Garden is on the map of Penang Hill

Nepenthes sumatrana, Monkey Cup Garden (26 January 2012)


View inside a pitcher, Monkey Cup Garden (26 January 2012)


A couple of brown pitchers, Monkey Cup Garden (26 January 2012)


Venus Flytrap, Monkey Cup Garden (26 January 2012)


Sarracenia, a pitcher plant from North America, Monkey Cup Garden (26 January 2012)