"MA" GARDEN

“Ma” is often found as the first syllable in the name of local Thai vegetable, fruits, and herbs to indicate that the plant is commonly used for consumption. For example: Ma-muang (Mango), Ma-nao (lemon)
There are several trees and plants whose name begin with “Ma” in our garden including some rare and endangered vegetation such as:

Ma-Phuut

Garcinia dulci (Roxb.) Kurz.
An evergreen tree, harvested from the wild to be used as raw materials in medicine and eco-dyeing process.

Ma-Kha taae

Sindora siamensis Miq.

A large evergreen tree found only in semi-deciduous forest in Indochina that produces very strong hardwood suitable for floorboards and beams in building Thai houses.

Ma-Mao

Antidesma twaitesianum Miq.

A native medicinal plant found only in South East Asia.

Ma-Taad

Dillenia indica L.

Commonly known as Elephant apple, a plant that provides food and medicine for local populations.

Ebony Tree

Diospyros mollis
Ebony is a dense black hardwood, most commonly yielded by several different species in the genus Diospyros, which also contains the persimmons. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water.

Palm Garden

Palm garden exhibits an enchanting botanical family of perennial shrubs lianas and trees that thrive in hot and humid climate. The diversity of Arecaceae in this garden creates an image of tropical paradise. Many species are close to extinction due to deforestation, only a few still exist in temples and botanical gardens.

The rare and outstanding palms that are preserved in their natural habitat in our garden are;

A Mangrove Palm

Oncosperma tigillarium
A mangrove palm which can grow to 12 meters high. Its trunk is covered with long black spines. This endanger palm used to be a native plant that can be found in the wetland of Rayong Province.

Fishtail Palm

Caryota mitis Lour.

The attractiveness of the palm’s long stems with clustering round fruit makes it an exotic decorative plant. Its extra hard wood is a perfect material for making agricultural tools.

Rare Plant Garden

Our garden preserves many of the rare, threatened and endangered habituating plants from deforestation and alteration of the ecosystem. Some of the infrequently encountered plants in our garden are;

Rose of Venezuela

Brownea grandiceps Jacq.
Known as Rose of Venezuela, a shrubbery plant with showy pink flowers elaborated clustered like a bouquet.

Cannonball Tree

Couroupita guianensis Aubl.

Commonly called Cannon-ball tree.An important tree in Buddhism because it is believed that the Lord Buddha was born under a Cannon- Ball Tree. The pretty scarlet red and pale orange flowers attached directly to the tree trunk also release heavenly fragrant.

The Tropical Plant Garden

This dense garden features colorful tropical plants including a huge variety of fern and foliage species. Different types of banana plants and bird of paradise plants are also being displayed. There are several attractions featured in our garden including;

Ear Elephant

Xanthosoma nigrum
commonly known as Ear elephant, a tropical plant which produce eatable starchy corn for the natives of Asia.

Torch Ginger

Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M. Smith
is a herbaceous perennial plant, its saturated waxy pink flowers are used mainly for decorative flower arrangement.

Ensete

Ensete superbum

is a genus of monocarpic flowering plants native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. It is one of the two genera in the banana family, Musaceae which includes “false banana” or Ensete (a medicinal plant endemic in tropical forests)

Sunthorn Phu Inspired Garden

‘Sunthorn Phu’ (1786-1855) is poet of the Rattanakosin period. He was honored by UNESCO as a great world poet in 1986. Phra Apai Mani, his finest poetic literature of Thailand, narrated a romantic adventure a young prince in a fantastic surrounding around the Samed Island in Rayong.

Nirat Moung Klaeng is about Sunthorn Phu’s experience during his 7 day journey from Klong Daan, a suburb of Samut prakarn to visit his father in Klaeng, a district of Rayong. He had to wander about 7 days through the woods to Klaeng. It became one of his famous poems which shows his great botanical knowledge. Our garden cherishes 9 of his narrative poems about his journey and his playwrights, narrated within the boundary of botanical landscaping.

Some selected plants from his poetry;

Lum Duan

Melodorum fruticosum
White cheesewood, called in Thai “Lum Duan”, a plant of South- East Asia with pale yellow fragrant flowers, bloom in November to January. The plant extract have the highest antifungal activity.

Nom Maow

Rauwenhoffia siamensis
“Nom maow” in Thai. It is well known garden plants for its fine fragrant that is often used as food flowering in many Thai deserts.

Fragrant Garden

The Fragrant Garden add a whole new pleasure in dwelling through the area of permeating scent from the exquisite floras or the attractive foliage. The highlight of our fragrant plants are;

Kankrao

Fagraea fragrans Roxb.
A large evergreen blooming tree, burst in to bloom with masses of small distinctive fragrant pale yellow clustered flowers. The plant can be ornamental or medicinal tree and can be planted as sacred plant.

Ceylon Ironwood

Mesua  ferrea
Known as Iron wood, an evergreen plants of the most attractive foliage and form. The distinctive flagrance of the five petals flowers is the real highlight of the garden which blossom from March to May

Climbing Plant Garden

Thai flowering vines are mostly fragrant and found mostly native in the forest. The ornamentally climbing plants in our garden are selected from their fascinating fragrant with its lustrous colorful bloom.

Selected climbing plants in our garden;

Jade Vine

Stongylodon macrobotrys A.Gray
The common name is Jade vine, a flamboyant saturated jade color twining plant, is a leguminous turquoise color flower. It is a species of leguminous perennial vine with stem that can reach up to 18 meters in length. Jade vine make a striking appearance due to its long hanging stems of numerous bluish green flowers.

Lady Margaret

Passiflora hyb.
“Lady Margaret” commonly known as Passion flower. This attractive evergreen climber of the lustrous deeps vermilion red rings with long red and white filaments forming a corona in the center. The vine’s saturated green lobed leaves adds an exotic touch to the Climbing Plant Garden. The saturated green lobed leaves as gorgeous as its flowers add exotic touch to the climbing garden. Passion flowers adorn our garden throughout the year.

Sala- Heart of the Garden

Sala - The open pavilion used as a meeting place that graces most of Thai landscaping gardens.

Sala-Heart of the Garden is inspired by flowers narrated in the poetic literature “Inau”, a popular play from the King Rama the second of Rattanakosin period.

“Inau” is a story of famous hero based on an old Javanese tale.

Selected Thai flowers inspired by the poem “Inau”

Chinese Desmos

Desmos chinensis Lour
A fragrant flowering plant with yellowish-green flower that only releases its delicate fragrant in the morning. This plant is native across Southeast Asia.

Purple Orchid Tree

Bauhinia purpurea L.
There are many varieties in species of flowering trees from the Fabaceae family. It is native in Asia, from Nepal to South China and Southeast Asia.

Champak

Michelia champaca Linn.

A large evergreen tree with strong delicate fragrant flowers. There are a few varieties of champak tree that produce flowers of different colors ranging from creamy white to yellow –orange flowers. The tree’s hard wood is used for woodworking and fine furniture.

Mahahong

Hedychium coronarium J.G.Koenig
This a perennial plant found in the forests of Eastern Himalayas from Southern China to Southeast Asia. Mahahong aromatic oil is used for medicine and food flavoring.

Enchanting Garden

The enchanting garden is the adorable backdrop of our three antique Thai houses. It was created through an inspiration from the romantic poetry ”Rak Nirand” (Eternal Love) of Mr. Sawet Piamphongsant. His love and passion in life is clearly expressed through the alluring scents of Thai flowers narrated in his poetry work.

The selective of enchanting flowers in our garden;

Snowy orchid tree

Bauhinia acuminata L.
This shrub of five petals flowers native in deciduous forest of Southeast Asia is widely cultivated as ornamental plants.

White Champak

Michelia longifolia
Is a large evergreen tree in Magnoliaceae family widely cultivated in Southeast Asia. It is highly praised for its beautiful fragrant. The pale color flowers may vary from creamy white to very light yellow. The tree trunk is also used in delicate woodworking due to the fine texture.

Tuberose

Polianthes tuberosa L.
Is a member of Agavaceae family, the long stem of white flower clusters are night blooming, providing a beautiful fragrant from sunset to down. Tuberose is widely used in flower arrangement for religious events in Thailand.

Chinese Glory Bower

Clerodendrum fragrans
A perennial shrub that can be up to 3 meters in height. This plant is well known for its pretty white and pink flower clusters with a soft and gentle fragrance.

Woodland

Our woodland is a low-density forest that form an open habitat for various types of woody plants. There are various trees, shrubs and lianas that produce wood as their structural tissue, providing valuable wood for construction and woodworking.

With a desire to preserve rare and endangered woody plants, Mr. Sawet had planted large variety of woody trees such as Ta-khian and Makha trees that are famous for their beautiful and fine texture hardwood.

Among many valuable and rare evergreen woody trees grown in our woodland are;

Malabar Ironwood

Hopea odorata Roxb.

Malabar ironwood or Mai Takhian in Thai

Crown Wood

Xylia xylocarpa (Pyinkado)

Crown wood or Mai Daeng in Thai

Malay Padaux

Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz

Malay Padaux or Mai Pradoo in Thai

Ma Kha

Afzellia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib.

Ma kha is a rare 10 seed- woody tree found only in the lower part of Northern Thailand. Ma kha is the finest, strongest and also the most expensive building material in Thai houses.
Endangered Wood in our woodland includes;

Samar San

Cassia garrettiana Craib.

This woody tree can often grow up to 10 meters tall with pretty yellow flowers. In olden days Heartwood was used for boats, but now that the tree has become rare, it is used mostly for its medicinal property.

Samrhong

Stercuria foetida Linn.
It is a large deciduous medicinal tree that stands 20-30 meter tall. The oil extracted from its fruit can be used for cooking while its leaf and bark are used for antibacterial activity.

Krabao Yai

Hydnocarpus antheimintica Pierre
It is a large deciduous tree that provides an important medicinal oil as well as strong and hard wood suitable for making agricultural tools.

Herb Garden

Tropical forests in Thailand offer a vast array of useful medicinal plants, many of which are grown in our herb gardens. Villagers and native tribes have explored and utilized this bounty for centuries. Thai local knowledge and experience in herbal medicines contribute a lot to modern pharmaceutical industry and medical researches today. The most successful native herbal remedies which are manufactured and marketed worldwide fall into four major categories by their usages and applications;

Bitter Gourd

Momordica charantia L.
Thai herbal plants for the treatment of diabetes

Best Cardamom

Amomum testaceum Ridl.
Thai herbs for treating hypertension

White Crane Flower

Rhinacanthus nasutus

Thai medicinal plants for natural cancer treatment

Noni

Morinda citrifolia
Anti-oxidant activities of Thai herbs to reduce cell damages due to free radicals in the body.