What it actually is
Hor Lor is D163, a Penang durian whose name describes the fruit better than most stall labels do. “Hor Lor” means bottle gourd in Hokkien, while labu is the Malay name. The fruit has an elongated, cylindrical body with a slight waist or depression through the middle, giving it an hourglass figure. This is often clearest after the husk is opened.
D163 was registered on 30 June 1987. It came from Chat Fatt Hin in Balik Pulau, Penang, and won the durian competition at Balik Pulau in 1987, according to the register entry. Leslie Tay also lists awards at the 1987 and 1988 Penang durian competitions. Durianed says the best fruit seldom leave Penang, and that those sold in Singapore usually come from Johor and are seldom the best grade.
Like other Malaysian clones, its D number comes from the Department of Agriculture clone register, which listed 199 registered clones as of 2013. See our durian types page for the numbers. The register entry is a copy hosted on a blog, not the Department’s own page.
How to spot it
Start with the shape. A proper Hor Lor is usually medium to large, noticeably elongated rather than round, with a gentle pinch or waist at the middle. Think bottle gourd, not ball. Durianed says the shape is typically hourglass and that, if it is not obvious from outside, it becomes much clearer when the husk is opened.
The husk is mostly green, sometimes with yellowish spots, and the thorns are medium-sized and more jagged than sharp. The register entry describes the spines as closely spaced and of medium length, and Durianed says they curve at the tip and occasionally hook. Do not rely on thorn shape alone. The body shape matters more.
Inside, the flesh is yellow, pale yellow according to Durian Penang. Durianed says premium fruit that has fallen from old trees can be a deeper gold. The register entry calls the arils moderately thick, yellow, smooth and creamy. Durianed describes the texture as slightly dry, like peanut butter but less sticky, and says some fruit from old trees is very sticky. Seed size varies a lot between fruit, from huge to small and flat, and Durianed says smaller fruit usually, though not always, have small seeds. Check the opened pod rather than assuming every Hor Lor will be high-yielding.
What it tastes like
Leslie Tay describes the flesh as “dry, sticky and sweet bitter to taste”. We have not found a source that says how strong the bitterness is. Durian Penang says fruit from a tree over 40 years old may carry “a whisper of chocolate, maybe even some nutty notes”, and Durianed says you can sometimes taste a hint of chocolate and numbness. We have not found a source we can check for the nickname “ginseng durian”, so we do not use it.
We have not found a reliable source on how strongly Hor Lor smells, though a Malay-language summary on Info Pertanian says it is “kurang beraroma”, meaning less aromatic. Durianed says Hor Lor is frequently recommended to beginners as a variety less in-your-face than the heavy-duty ones.
For comparison, FairPrice describes the Penang Red Prawn (D175) as “sweet with a tinge of bitterness” and creamy, where Hor Lor is described as drier and stickier.
What to watch for
The main issue with Hor Lor is inconsistency. Durianed says its taste has a reputation for varying with the quality of the harvest, and that a bad weather year can give fruit that does not taste as expected. A weaker fruit may not show the same depth, even if the seller has identified the variety correctly.
At the stall, ask to see the opened fruit and judge the flesh. Look for thick pale-yellow to golden pods with a dense, smooth surface. Small seeds are a useful sign, but they are not guaranteed. Do not pay purely for the whole fruit weight. A Frontiers in Nutrition paper assumes the edible aril is about 25 per cent of the whole fruit, and seed size changes what you actually take home. The guide to choosing durian explains what to check before buying.
Durianed says the bumper harvest stock usually arrives from June to July, and Durian Penang gives June to August. See the durian season page, and the 2026 durian season update for current conditions.
Who it suits
Durianed recommends Hor Lor to beginners, and it suits regular durian eaters who enjoy dense, dry, sticky flesh that is both sweet and bitter. It is not for anyone who wants only non-sticky, creamy flesh.
If you are sharing a table, open Hor Lor alongside Red Prawn rather than expecting them to taste alike.