Nobuyuki Tanaka
Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden
Southeast Asia is one of the richest floristic regions of the world, and is divided into two main areas: Malesia and Indo-China. There is a very strong relationship between people and plants in much of SE Asia, with most behavioral aspects of life, such as eating, drinking, clothing, healing, and praying, dependant on plant diversity.
Myanmar is one of the most botanically fascinating countries, not just in floristically rich SE Asia, but also the world. No comprehensive floristic surveys have been conducted, and much remains to be learnt of its flora, as well as of its floristic relations with neighboring regions.
Since the horticultural industry has not been well developed in Myanmar, compared to neighboring countries such as Thailand, people tend to utilize various wild plants, such as gingers and orchids, as ornamentals. In addition to ornamentals, people utilize the various wild species of plants from the natural habitat for various purposes: Bulbophyllum are used as hair ornaments; stem fibers from Dendrobium are used for making ethnic costumes; Acacia and Grewia are mixed and used as shampoo; Elaeocarpus stones are used as medicine for acne. Plant diversity supports their relationship with plants.
Plant species diversity in SE Asia has not been well elucidated, however, and it is thought that many plants that we do not yet know grow in the region. Despite this, there is serious destruction of the natural environment through human activity. Plant inventory research, in terms of both taxonomy and economic botany, is urgently needed to help people conserve plant diversity and help promote symbiotic sustainable relations between human being and plants for the future.
(Presented in the 2014 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Flower Culture in Asia, 8-9 July 2014, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, and Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University)