Overview
D161 Merah is a large durian variety registered in 1987 from Selangor. "Merah" means red in Malay, but the name is something of a misnomer when it comes to the flesh -- the DOA describes the flesh color as "kuning jingga" (orange-yellow), not red. Whether the name refers to some reddish tinge on the husk, a characteristic of the tree's bark or leaves, or simply an informal local designation that stuck, is not documented.
What makes D161 particularly notable is its registrant. Lim Hai Chua of Banting, Selangor, registered three durian varieties with the DOA in the same year: D160 Buluh Bawah (widely known as Tekka and later marketed as Musang Queen), D161 Merah, and D162 Tawa. Of these three siblings from the same grower, D160 went on to achieve national recognition and commercial success, while D161 and D162 remained far more obscure. D161 Merah is the least known of the trio.
The variety produces large fruit averaging 3 kilograms, with an elongated-elliptic shape, short thorns, green-brown skin, and fibrous orange-yellow flesh described as creamy-sweet. These characteristics are drawn entirely from the DOA registration record, as no independent tasting accounts or commercial reviews of D161 Merah have been identified.
Origin & History
D161 was registered on June 30, 1987, the same date as D160 and D162, all three submitted by Lim Hai Chua. Lim was based in Banting, a town in the Kuala Langat district of coastal Selangor, near Tanjung Sepat. He is best remembered for D160 Buluh Bawah -- the variety he discovered growing as a wild seedling among bamboo, which later became known as Tekka and was rebranded as Musang Queen in 2015.
The fact that Lim registered three distinct varieties on the same date suggests he was an active and knowledgeable hobbyist grower who had identified multiple promising trees in his area. The Banting district and its surrounding lowlands have long been a region of diverse durian cultivation, and it is likely that Lim had access to a range of seedling trees with varying characteristics.
The DOA's official Malay-language description of D161 reads: "Buah bersaiz besar; purata berat 3 kg; berbentuk eliptik panjang; berduri pendek; kulit berwarna hijau perang. Isi berwarna kuning jingga; berserat dan ulas bersaiz besar; rasa lemak manis." In English: the fruit is large, averaging 3 kg in weight, elongated-elliptic in shape, with short thorns and green-brown skin. The flesh is orange-yellow, fibrous, with large arils and a creamy-sweet taste.
Unlike D160, which has a rich origin story involving bamboo and multiple names across languages, D161 Merah carries no known narrative beyond its registration data. The original tree's location, its parentage, and whether it was a wild seedling or a cultivated specimen are all undocumented.
Characteristics
Size and weight. D161 is classified as large, with an average weight of 3 kilograms. This places it in the same weight class as D160 Buluh Bawah, which also averages around 3 kg. The 3 kg figure is a stated average, but no weight range is provided, so the typical variation around this mean is unknown.
Shape. The fruit is elongated-elliptic ("eliptik panjang") -- oblong and stretched, similar in profile to D160 and D162. This shape is common among Selangor-origin durians and contrasts with the rounder forms found in some other states.
Thorns. D161's thorns are specifically noted as short ("berduri pendek"). This is a distinguishing detail, as D160's thorns are described as coarse and short, while D162's DOA record does not mention thorns at all. Short thorns generally make handling somewhat easier compared to varieties with long, sharp spines.
Husk and skin. The skin is green-brown ("hijau perang"), the same color descriptor used for D167 Buaya. No information on shell thickness is provided, though the presence of short thorns may correlate with a moderate shell.
Flesh. The flesh is orange-yellow ("kuning jingga"), a warm tone consistent with D160 and many other Selangor varieties. The arils are large ("ulas bersaiz besar"). Notably, the DOA description includes the word "berserat" (fibrous), indicating a textured, stringy quality to the flesh. This fibrous character sets D161 apart from the smooth, silky texture of D160 and suggests a different eating experience -- potentially more structured and less melt-in-the-mouth.
Taste. The official flavor descriptor is "lemak manis" -- creamy-sweet. This is the same descriptor used for D160 and D167, and it indicates a primary sweetness with a rich, fatty mouthfeel. No bitterness is noted.
Aroma. No official information is available regarding aroma.
The fibrous texture is perhaps D161's most distinctive trait relative to its siblings. Where D160 Tekka is celebrated for its smooth, creamy flesh, D161 Merah offers a different tactile experience. Whether this contributed to its lack of commercial traction is plausible but speculative.
Availability
D161 Merah is extremely rare and is not known to be commercially cultivated. It does not appear in durian seller catalogs, online marketplaces, or enthusiast forums in any meaningful way. No DOA planting recommendation has been issued for D161, and it has received none of the marketing attention lavished on its sibling D160.
The variety's obscurity is compounded by the success of D160 Buluh Bawah. When Lim Hai Chua's contributions to durian cultivation are discussed, the conversation invariably centers on Tekka/Musang Queen. D161 Merah and D162 Tawa are occasionally mentioned as footnotes -- "other varieties registered by the same person" -- but neither has developed an independent following.
It is possible that D161 trees still exist in the Banting area of Selangor, either as the original specimen or as grafted clones. However, no reports of D161 fruit being sold or distributed have been found. For practical purposes, D161 Merah remains a name in the DOA registry and a reminder that not every registered variety achieves recognition -- even when registered alongside one that became a star.