The Thai Flora

 Lead tree (Thai: krathin):

This bush or tree is frequently used to improve the nitrogen in the soil. It is a leguminous plant and used by the local people in green salad. 

Rini tree:

These trees are magnificent. The photo is taken some kilometers north of Sarasin Bridge on the main land - Pangnga:

Banjan tree:

This banjan tree was a big beauty in the year 2006. After that the big peer seen to the right was built and part of the tree got hurt. Normally the trunk could be very wide. There are species covering 1000 square metres. It keeps eatable fruits similar to figs. The place for this one is Rawai Beach. 

Yang tree:

Even this tree is very magnificent. The trunk has a redish wood useful for making furnitures. In Thailand it is protected. But the wood is imported from Burma and Laos. The leaves look like needles. This one can be seen in the middle of Kata Beach.

Mango tree:

This mango tree was once very beutiful 20 meters high outside Orchidacea Resort. But in the year 2006 it was cut down. I miss her very much. High up just above the naked branch in the picture you can see two fruits. In the year 2005 I saw an agil man climbing the tree all the way up to catch the fruits. The fruits are delicious.

Various fruits:

Many of the Thai fruits can be bought in European countries, but then they have passed through transport as well as some kind of conserving treatment. This has a negative effect on the taste and price. Many of these fruits are served at breakfast on the big resorts in Phuket. Use the opportunity to test them. The following is a picture from the breakfast table in Orchidacea resort in Phuket:

May is the best fruit month of the year, but over the whole year there are many sorts available. In May Thai people celebrate a special fruit festival.

Pomelo - Thai: Som-o

Similar to grapefruit but mutch bigger and not as sour. I like this fruit. It is available all months. At the table in the picture below you se a peeled fruit. Not - the lady in red has just started this process, which use to take about 15 minutes. The final result is seen under her left elbow, where the segments are separated. Tai - the lady to the right keeps a mature mango (Thai: Ma muang) in her right hand and a bunch of langsat (Thai=Lang myai) in her left. Langsat has a dark brown stone. All these tree fruits are very delicious and juicy.The last one is similar to duko (Thai: Langon), but different inside. Duko has segments and no stone. According to me it is not so good as langsat. The very nice lady in the center - Poy - uses to take care of me when I pass this market place on Bangkok Road in Phuket Town (the eastmost stall). She sets a deck chair to me and a small stool to put my fruit and water at. I use to have a large fruit meel here and she hands to me a lot of varieties at a low price and sometimes even free:

Sometimes Poy slices a delicious mango for me:

Watermelon - Thai: Tengmo

More tasty than in Scandinavia. Obtainable the whole year.

Papaya - Thai: Malako

A real delicacy to be longing for before going to Thailand. The fruit is yellow when it is time for eating - the pulp is orange. It can be 50 cm long. Flavour it with lime. Available the whole year.

 This specimen, although very tiny, cary fruits. It was planted here  in the year 2006 outside Orchidacea Resort. And now 2008 the delicious fruits from it can be eaten.

Pineapple - Thai: Saparot

One of the Thai specialities - more succulent and sweeter than in Scandinavia. Available the whole year.

Lime - Thai: Manaao

More succulent and sweeter than in Scandinavia. Available the whole year.

Banana - Thai: Kluai

There are many sorts of bananas in Thailand. The smallest are very delicate. Some street stalls are selling fried bananas (kluai toot) at a price of one euro for seven bananas, which is enough for lunch and energy. Available the whole year.

This specimen is found below Orchidacea Resort.

Mangosteen - Thai: Mang khut

According to me this fruit is the most delicious of them all in Thailand. With some technique the fruit can be opened using only your fingers, but for an amateur a sharp knife is better - which is used on the open fruit in the picture.

Tamarind - Thai: Ma kham

The tamarind tree can be more than 20 meter high. The fruit is a brown pod-like legume, which contains a soft acidic pulp and many hard-coated seeds. Read more on internet.

Phak Boong

This is some kind of spinach and is used like that. It grows wild as well as cultivated. The picture is taken at the edge of the road just south of the top of the hill between the monument circle and phuket town on the east side of the road.

On one of the markets I found the following mix of vegetables:

I made notes about the names as I heared in Thai. I think I need a dubbel check. 

First picture: From right in the front row kra thong and två bunches pak kana; In the back row psa pong and katao.

The middle:In the front row dok gui chai, pati and sanhom; In the back katao, si lao and pati falang.

Last picture: In the front row san hom and tua phlu; In the back si lao, pati falang and cha-om.

Palmyra Palm:

This picture shows a young lady cutting the fruits from the palmyra palm in order to get the the white segments inside free. These fruits do not tast  very much. The local people eat the fruit raw as well as cooked. The tree is very useful in all it's parts: leaves, wood and fruits.

Oil palm

Oil palms are grown for their clusters of fruit, which can weigh 40-50 kg. Upon harvest, the drupe, pericarp and seeds are used for production of soap and edible vegetable oil. The palms are cultivated on big areas in Southeast Asia.

Betel palm or Areca palm - Thai: Ton Mahk

The small fruits are chuwed as drug. It has been found that it can create mouth cancer. 

Coconut Palm

The coconut palms is seen all over Thailand. The man in the tree is the same one I saw in the mango tree. He is here occupied by cutting branches in order to prevent from accidents. He is sitting 13 meters above the ground without any security.

Bamboo - Thai: Mai pai

There are about 1000 sorts of bamboo, which is a kind of grass and can be about 10 meters high. It is tubular and divided in sections. It is used in buildings. It should not be confused with rattan, which is not tubular.

Rattan - Thai: Wai

Rattan is a kind of climbing palm and can be 200 meters long. The diameter varies between 5 mm and 5 cm. In opposite to bamboo the wood is solid. It is used for making furnitures and as can be seen in the picture it can be shaped. This is done by heating with steam. In the hyperbolic stool the generatrices are unsplit rattan but in the armchair the wickerwork consists of split rattan.

Mangrove:

The Mangrove swamps in Phuket are lingering out their days. They falling victims for different  kinds of achievements. On the west coast the beaches take their part and on the east coast the prawn cultivations are growing rapidly with and without permission. This will have a bad influence on the climate and will also remove the natural protection against the movements from the sea. I heard from a family who have a restaurant on the north end of the west coast - Hat Sai Kaeo - that when the tsunami hit the coast they all run in to the mangrove swamp behind their restaurant  in east. They all got happily off and so did all their neighbours at 6 restaurants. But the restaurants were all swept away. The mangrove swamps are all under water in high tide and drained in low tides. By canoe you can experience the magic feeling in these waters. But you have to know how to orientate here - going in is easy but coming out can get you into problems. You can not wark on the ground in low tide it is really dangerous in the loose mud, which I experienced once when I had walked out in the mud to take some photoes of girls who were out there collecting shells. On the way back I was near drowning. But the girls shouted to me and told me how to get off the mud. 

Rubber trees

Rubber is one of the main industries in Phuket. This picture show young trees not yet giving any rubber. They are here growing in an experimental area where they cultivate pinaple plants between the rows of trees. This has shown to be very good for the soil and after some time the trees will give the pinaple plants a good shadow from the intense sun light. 

Orchids

These pictures are all from the garden in Orchidacea Resort, where you can find many different kinds. In Thailand the orchids also grow wild.

Ginger Torch

These to plants was seen in Orchidacea Resort. 

Plumeria tree (Temple tree):

This beautiful old tree was born in the 14th century but is still not the oldest among it's kind. The old trees like this are not covered by leaves and flowers (white and pink), but there are some few signs of life.

Lotus:

The Thai national flower is the Orchid but I guess the lotus flower has been a strong competitor. The lotus play a large part in some seremonials like e.g. Loy Kratong during the twelfth full moon in the year in November. At this occation floating lotus models are built and put into the sea, rivers and pools with burning lights. 

 Royal Poinciana:

Maybe only cyclist dicover this beauties growing on the trees along some big roads in Phuket. You have to come very near to see how very beautiful they are.

French: Arbre Flamboyant

Latin: Delonix Regia

Thai: Hang Nok Yung

Mimosa Pudica:

This wild flower is very common in Phuket. It has also the name 'touch me not' (in latin 'noli-me-tangere') due to the fact that when you tuch it the green leaves will close. It has a good influence on the soil by giving it nitrogene.

Lam Thom:

This very beutiful flower is growing wild as well as cultivated in the gardens. The picture show a wild specimen.