Morning Glories of Thailand and Southeast Asia

Every Thai person, and a great many visitors to Thailand, knows what phak bung (ผักบุ้ง) is. This plant, ubiquitous throughout the Kingdom, is a kind of morning glory and as such phak bung is a worthy ambassador to introduce a large assortment of beautiful and interesting plants. Species classified as members of the Convolvulaceae are found all over the world in tropical and warm temperate climates including every ecosystem and habitat from temperate fields and meadows to ever-wet tropical forests, ocean beaches, dry deserts and high steppes. There are almost 2,000 species known. Thailand has a rich diversity of Convolvulaceae in its flora: there are 147 species documented within the Kingdom’s borders and new species are discovered every year. Some Thai species, like phak bung, are very abundant where people live; others are quite rare and found only in pristine natural areas. All of them are fascinating, many are beautiful, and each has a unique place in the natural world around us. Their stories are told here.

This book combines knowledge about Convolvulaceae from three people who specialize in botany and horticulture. These authors introduce you to the Convolvulaceae world-wide, as garden ornamentals, as food plants, in the unique cultural environment of Japan, and finally through a selection of the morning glories of Thailand. Many of the same species found in Thailand grow throughout Southeast Asia and this book is also a field guide to morning glories throughout the region.

Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs throughout there are also illustrations for horticultural practices and propagation techniques that were specially prepared for this book. In total all 27 genera of Thai Convolvulaceae are included and 80 selected species, including several of the rarest and some of the most beautiful among them