As part of the second leg of the International Palm Society’s biennial group trip, Singapore was the next stop after Sarawak, Borneo. The IPS had planned three palmy locations to visit while we were in Singapore. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Botanic Garden (topic of next week’s post) and McRitchie Reservoir. Gardens by the Bay was first up. Before…

Every two years the International Palm Society (IPS) has a biennial member get-together in some palmy part of the world. Two years ago it was in South Florida. Before that, Thailand. This year, close to 150 palm tree lovers would get together in Borneo and Singapore for the IPS 2016 Biennial. Usually not a fan of…

For as long as I have been traveling to Southeast Asia, I have had a bucket list of things to do in that region. One item on the list was to summit Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. While it is not the tallest peak in Southeast Asia, which is a commonly shared falsity amongst travelers, it is…

Rafflesia is a plant that few have ever heard of. How could you, as it has never been cultivated outside its native habitat in the rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. To see it in the wild involves some serious effort – and luck. From my home in San Diego I had to travel for two days to arrive at…

So if I were to ask you to guess what plant has the largest inflorescence in the world, what would you say? “Whats an inflorescence?” OK, that’s just a scientific term for a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem. Basically the stalk of the plant that is holding all those flower clusters you see on your day lilies, hydrangeas, sweet…

When the wife and I knew that we would be going to Thailand to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary, I immediately began working on her to include a quick side trip to the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. The palm tree lover in me could never be forgiven if I missed the Mecca of palm tree botanical gardens. A visit…

Back in November I posted about a tree (Acacia leucophloea) that stood out to me while on my travels through Myanmar. In this week’s post I will introduce you to a tree that has done the same for me while in Thailand. That tree is Dipterocarpus alatus, commonly known in Thailand as the “Yaang Naa Tree.” What…

I have been home for a little over a week now after an amazing three weeks in Myanmar. My favorite region in the world is Southeast Asia and my trip to Myanmar only strengthened my bias. Tourism is in its fledgling years. The history is rich. The scenery unique. The people were some of the most friendly and trust-worthy…