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10 plants worth knowing

Thailand

Thailand stretches from the mountainous, cooler north, across the fertile Chao Phraya plain and the dry Khorat Plateau, to a narrow peninsula with humid rainforests and mangroves. The monsoon climate favours both deciduous forests that shed their leaves in the dry season and lush evergreen forests. The country is famous for its wealth of orchids and for its fruit and rice, which have become part of its image around the world.

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

where it grows

  1. Golden shower tree 1

    tree · National flower and national tree of Thailand

    Golden shower tree

    Cassia fistula

    “Golden shower” – cascades of yellow flowers in the colour of the monarchy adorn Thai streets at the height of the hot season.
  2. Rice 2

    crop

    Rice

    Oryza sativa

    Thai Hom Mali jasmine rice smells like flowers and is one of the most prized rice varieties in the world.
  3. Durian 3

    crop

    Durian

    Durio zibethinus

    The “king of fruits”, with a spiny shell and a smell so intense that it is banned from Thai hotels and the metro.
  4. Blue vanda 4

    orchid

    Blue vanda

    Vanda coerulea

    One of the few orchids with truly blue flowers – it grows wild in the mountains of northern Thailand.
  5. Rafflesia kerrii 5

    flower

    Rafflesia kerrii

    Rafflesia kerrii

    A parasitic giant with no leaves or stem, whose flower measures up to 90 cm across and smells of rotting flesh.
  6. Rubber tree 6

    tree

    Rubber tree

    Hevea brasiliensis

    Thailand is the world’s largest producer of natural rubber – before dawn, millions of trees are tapped on the plantations of the south.
  7. Sacred lotus 7

    aquatic plant

    Sacred lotus

    Nelumbo nucifera

    Lotus buds are the most common offering in Thai temples, and in Bang Phli they are thrown onto a boat bearing a Buddha statue during the Rap Bua festival.
  8. Arabian jasmine 8

    shrub · Symbol of Mother’s Day in Thailand

    Arabian jasmine

    Jasminum sambac

    In Thailand the fragrant white mali flowers symbolise a mother’s love – on Mother’s Day children give them to their mums.
  9. Mangosteen 9

    crop

    Mangosteen

    Garcinia mangostana

    The “queen of fruits” hides snow-white, sweet-and-sour segments under its purple rind; Thais eat it to cool down after the “hot” durian.
  10. Lemongrass 10

    grass

    Lemongrass

    Cymbopogon citratus

    Without lemongrass stalks there would be no tom yum soup or Thai curry pastes – it is one of the pillars of Thai flavour.