Impressive twists of nature lend themselves easily to be incorporated into legends. This strange tree, Couroupita guianensis, with its mass of flowers bursting directly from the stem, plays a centerpiece in some of them. Read further...
From oceanographer to orchid conservator. Patana Thavipoke prefers research in a laboratory on millions of seedlings to the laborious care for fish. His mission: saving endemic orchids from extinction. Read the interview…
After a trip to Peru his love for the flora of Borneo rapidly faded away. Now the Taiwanese plant searcher Charlot Teng is more eager to explore the secrets of the jungles of Latin America.
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“I am interested in a bamboo if it is unknown or rare, or if it grows in a strange way.” Dieter Ohrnberger has some 300 species of this woody grass in his bambusetum in Northern Thailand.
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At the age of twelve, Nopchai Chansilpa started experimenting with water lily and lotus. Fifty years later he is a distinguished breeder, whose new varieties have earned scores of international awards. Read the interview…
As a young man, penniless but craving for plants, Surath Vanno scraped together samples from nature or friends. Now, at 75, he has one of the finest collections of shade plants in Thailand. Read the interview…
In a jungle-like resort along the river Kwai Noi, Chalermchart Soorangura grows 350 species of palm trees. “I like to see the development of a plant, how it changes from seedling to maturity.” Read the interview…
Dr. Songpol Somsri is awarded for being an innovative durian breeder. Through his hybrids, this giant fruit has reached a wider audience. His newest endeavour is to breed a thornless variety. Read the interview…
Annop Ongsakul, here with a giant swamp taro, has found the tiniest known aroid, which now carries his name. “We are strange people, walking on terrible trails, bitten by mosquitoes and sucked by leeches.” Read the interview…
Michael Ferrero recorded the palm trees of Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela. Now he wants to explore Kalimantan. “It is going to be a race against time.” Read the interview…
Amherstia nobilis, alias Pride of Burma, radiates only for a few weeks, and only in the humid tropics. But the reward for your anxious waiting is a mass of dangling orchid-like flowers. See more pictures…
Chinese cemeteries consist solely of little green hills connected by curving paths. Feng shui principles are considered of great importance for spiritual structures like tombs. Read the full story…
Elephant rides and Muay Thai boxing shows make the botanical garden Nong Nooch a major tourist attraction. But also lovers of palms and cycads jump for joy. Read the full story…
Outstanding books
An attractive field guide to palms and rattans, occurring from Afghanistan to Vietnam. Clear pictures, distribution maps and succinct descriptions facilitate easy identification. Botanist Andrew Henderson also wrote a book on the palms of Vietnam.
Patra Sangdanuch, renowned fern lover and writer, has published many books on ornamental plants, but only in Thai. Now her latest book, on staghorns, has an English translation. Filled to the brim with great pictures. Available in hard copy and e-book. Follow the author on Facebook: Patrabooks.
In lively prose, Andrea Wulf portrays Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859). His explorations into rainforests, volcanoes, plains and oceans influenced many scientific fields and inspired people like Simon Bolívar, Charles Darwin and Henry David Thoreau.
In his memoirs, the Malaysian botanist Francis Ng shares his knowledge of tropical trees in a casual tone. But above all his book is a tribute to the renowned plant searchers of the previous century.