Thai Gardens!

We spent a couple of days in Chiang Mai visiting green spaces and admiring all the amazing tree species and other plants in the area! The Huai Kaeo Arboretum was about a mile from our apartment. Then we took a day trip to the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden about 45 minutes north of Chiang Mai. And of course, I was snapping pics everyday of all kinds of trees in parks, temples, on the street, etc. Many trees at the arboretum & botanic garden were labeled with their scientific name and had QR codes that brought up all kinds of information about them, which I obviously loved.

Huai Kaeo Arboretum

Fun, fantastical, fountain fish (say that 5 times fast) decorations at the Arboretum.Saraca thaipingensis – An ornamental tree, with beautiful flowers that attract many species of nectar feeding sunbirds during the dry season.

Triplaris cumingia is native to South America but is planted in other tropical areas because of its beautiful ornamental features (the bark reminds me of crape myrtle). Apparently the hollow pith in the tree’s branches is home to a very aggressive ant that will attack, in hordes, any other creatures on the tree’s trunk! Not sure if these ants are here in Thailand or only in the tree’s native range.

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

The Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden was quite extensive! Lots of different gardens and greenhouses. This was the Fern Garden, where tons of bird where chattering away – it felt like a jungle wonderland. There was an elevated canopy walk to get a good view of the trees from above. Fig tree, Ficus auriculata, throughout India and Southeast Asia, with edible fruit and various medicinal uses. Banana flower, tons of different kinds of bananas here.  In the greenhouses:

We saw a couple of these bird nests in trees!😮 Many of this tree’s parts are used medicinally, for example the bark is used for treating arthritis and the roots for treating snake bites.

Couroupita guianensis – Cannonball tree – Native to Central and South America but planted in many tropical countries for its unique, fragrant flowers and fruits. The flower has a unique “hood” of secondary modified stamens. Despite being native to the Americas the tree has religious significance in India and Southeast Asia. In India the tree is sacred to Hindus and often grown in temples because the hooded flower looks like the deity Naga. And it is planted in many Buddhist temples because at one point the tree was mistakenly thought to be Shorea robusta, an important tree for Buddhists. Fascinating!

Jackfruit tree at one of the Chiang Mai Wats.

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