The name Ipoh is derived from local tree, POHON EPU or now more commonly known as POKOK IPOH. The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by Orang Asli (indigenous people) to coat the tips of the darts of their blowpipes. Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities due to the booming tin mining industry around the turn of the 19th century. During the British Colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administration purposes.
