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10 plants worth knowing

Myanmar

Myanmar lies where the Himalayas meet the Indochinese Peninsula, which gives it one of the richest floras in South-East Asia. Moist monsoon and evergreen forests cover the Arakan, Kachin and Tanintharyi mountains, while the dry central zone is dominated by deciduous forest and scrub. The country is famous for its natural teak forests, and plants are deeply woven into Buddhist culture and everyday customs.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Burma padauk 1

    tree · National flower of Myanmar

    Burma padauk

    Pterocarpus macrocarpus

    A tree that cloaks itself in golden flowers overnight in April – heralding the Burmese New Year.
  2. Teak 2

    tree

    Teak

    Tectona grandis

    Myanmar has the world’s largest natural teak forests – the wood that built Mandalay’s monasteries and the famous U Bein Bridge.
  3. Wood apple 3

    tree

    Wood apple

    Limonia acidissima

    Its ground bark becomes thanaka – the yellow paste that Burmese women have painted on their faces for two thousand years.
  4. Tea plant 4

    crop

    Tea plant

    Camellia sinensis

    In Myanmar tea is not only drunk but eaten – pickled lahpet leaves are a national delicacy and a symbol of hospitality.
  5. Sacred fig 5

    tree · Sacred tree of Buddhism

    Sacred fig

    Ficus religiosa

    The Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment – in Myanmar it grows beside almost every pagoda.
  6. Rice 6

    crop

    Rice

    Oryza sativa

    Before the Second World War Burma was the world’s largest rice exporter, and the Irrawaddy delta is still its “rice bowl”.
  7. Palmyra palm 7

    palm

    Palmyra palm

    Borassus flabellifer

    Toddy palms silhouetted above the pagodas of Bagan are the emblem of Burma’s dry zone; their sap makes palm sugar and wine.
  8. Areca palm 8

    palm

    Areca palm

    Areca catechu

    Kun-ya – pieces of areca nut wrapped in a betel leaf – is chewed by millions in Myanmar, and red stains mark city pavements.
  9. Sacred lotus 9

    aquatic plant

    Sacred lotus

    Nelumbo nucifera

    At Inle Lake fibres from lotus stems are woven into a rare cloth used for the robes of monks and Buddha statues.
  10. Pyinkado 10

    tree

    Pyinkado

    Xylia xylocarpa

    Burma’s “ironwood” – one of the hardest timbers in Asia, used for railway sleepers, bridges and posts.