We have been to Thailand numerous times. My favourite botanical find was the magnificent flower of Rafflesi kerrii (second to Rafflesia arnoldii as the largest flower in the world). We were really lucky! We were told the plant would not be blooming for a few weeks when we arrived at Khao Sok National Forest. I thought I would have to be satisfied seeing the cabbage-like floral buds. The rest of the plant itself is actually very cryptic, an endoparasite of (a liana, Tetrasigma). As luck would have it we saw it on the first day it opened….I guess not so lucky as it hadn’t started to emit its tantalizing fragrance…well tantalizing to flies…it has a pretty nasty smell…and I am sorry I missed it. Bill, pictured here, was our fabulous guide who showed us a number of other botanical and zoological wonders.
I was also thrilled to see pineapple in bloom! Pineapple is a bromeliad (Bromeliaceae).
The part of the plant we eat include ovaries, perianth segments, stalk… coalesced into a multiple accessory fruit….yum!
Pomegranates (Punica granatum) belong to the loosestrife family, Lythraceae. They are really common in Southeast Asia and it is neat to find the fruit in different stages of development. The juicy little bits of goodness we eat are actually seeds surrounded with juicy aril (fleshy seed coat).
Another interesting fruit it the soursop (Annona muricata). It is one of the most delicious fruits I have tasted, but it has the strangest texture…kind of like sucking on juicy cotton fibres. It is a member of the Annonaceae (pawpaw or custard apple family). Other yummy members of the family include cherimoya, custard apple, sugar apple. This family belongs with the Magnoliids which is one of the early lineages of flowering plants (before the monocots diverged). It is commonly found in Asia, but is actually native to Central America and northern South America.