Listed: common name, scientific name, (Lao name)

• Tree fern, Cyathea gigantea (Phak koot) belong the tree fern family. They develop into true trees with a main trunk more than 1 m tall. Ferns don't have flowers but reproduce by means of spores which are held in dot-like structures on the lower surface of mature leaves. They are the ultimate representative of a very old family dating from ancient geologic times. Nowadays, they are quite rare in the wild. They are the remainders of primary forest.
  
• Jaggery palm, Caryota urens, (Mai Tao Harng) is a single-stem fishtail palm that can reach up to 10 m height in the wild. It is widespread but never too common and it prefers moist evergreen forest at average elevation, up to 1500 m above sea level.
  
• Sunda oak, Lithocarpus elegans (Mai Ko Mon) belongs to the Oak family. It is an evergreen tree up to 25 m height and is quite common in a wide variety of forest types. It provides hard timber wood of high quality with nice red veins.
  
•   Duabanga grandiflora (Mai Leen Ngo) is usually a huge evergreen tree up to 50 m height and is easily recognized by its massive and steeply ascending branches with drooping tips ending with heavy clusters of up to 20-30 white flowers. It is also a common feature of moist areas, often the largest tree in the forest.
  
• Mussaenda kerrii is often a scrambling shrub or a climber, sometimes a small tree up to 7 m high. It is recognizable by its larger white leaves at the end of the twigs just below the small yellow flowers. It is scattered along forest edges and in gaps.
  
• Mountain Ebony tree, Bauhinia variegata (Mai Siao) is a deciduous tree rarely up to 15 m high. In common language, it is called "orchid tree" because of its spectacular white and purple flowers that really look like orchids and its circular bi-lobed leaves are really characteristic. It is common in deciduous forests and in open areas, but it prefers limestone and average altitude. The bark of Bauhinia sp. is used for treating diarrhoea, dysentery, skin diseases, snake bites and malaria.
  
• Red Silk-Cotton tree, Bombax ceiba (Ton ngew nyai) is a deciduous tree up to 35 m high. It has an unmistakable crown during full bloom (February, March) with big bright red flowers, appearing after all the leaves have fallen. It is uncommon in the forest, usually occurs in open areas. Moreover, it is rarely cut down because evil spirits are thought to live inside the tree. Bombax sp. have many medical uses.
  
• Hibiscus, Hibiscus macrophyllus (Po Hoo) is an evergreen tree up to 25 m. It has bright yellow flowers with a dark purple centre and large, almost circular leaves with a distinct heart-shaped base. The twigs are very hairy. It is widespread but never common, favouring gaps in moist open areas. Excellent fibres are extracted from the bark so as to make ropes of good quality.
  
• Mahonia nepalensis belong to the berberine family. It is an evergreen tree up to 8 m high with an irregular crown, thick stumpy branches and a short trunk. The flowers are small, bright yellow, several together at the end of twigs. It is uncommon, restricted to rocky areas above 1200 m above sea level. The wood is used as a yellow dye, the bark and the roots are used for treating fever, eye complaints and skin diseases.
  
• Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum (Dok Ya Fin) is a yearly plant that can reach up to 1 m, preferably grown between 500m and 1000m above sea level. The leaves are blue-green and the petals can be of a wide variety of colours, from white to dark-purple, but never yellow or blue. Generally, the blooming lasts for only one day. In common language, this plant is called "poppy" and it is the kind from which opium is won. The poppy's latex in its dry form serves numerous medical purposes.
  
• Bottle Gourd, Lagenaria siceraria (Mak Nam ) is a yearly plant, a vine originally from the tropical areas. Its fruit, initially green, is dried and becomes light-brown and hard. It is then used as a ground for water or as utensil for cooking and is locally grown for this.

Jaggery Palm - Caryota urens	Opium poppy - Papaver somniferum	Bottle gourd - Lagenaria siceraria
Tree Fern - Cyathea gigantea	Sunda Oak - Lithocarpus elegans	Duabanga grandiflora
Mountain Ebony tree Bauhinia variegate	Red Silk-Cotton tree (flower) Bombax Ceiba	Red Silk-Cotton tree Bombax Ceiba
Hibiscus - Hibiscus macrophyllus		Mahonia nepalensis

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