Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden (QSBG) is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in Mae Rim District,

Chiang Mai Province Chiang Mai ( th, เชียงใหม่, ; nod, , ) is the largest Province (''changwat'') of Thailand. It lies in upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It is bordered by Chiang Rai to the northeast, Lam ...

, Thailand. It was opened in 1993 and is maintained under the auspices of the Botanical Garden Organization (BGO) of the

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

. Originally called the ''Mae Sa Botanic Garden'', it was renamed for Sirikit, Queen of Thailand, in 1994. The site is home to twelve greenhouses, placing the establishment among Thailand's largest glasshouse complexes. QSBG spreads over a vast area, from a hilly region near to the river

Mae Sai ''Mae Sai'' ( th, แม่สาย, ; Shan: , ), is the district town of Mae Sai District in the far north of Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar where the town of Tachileik, in Shan ...

(at an elevation of approx. ) to the site's highest point, at . Evergreen and

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

trees occupy lower elevations, while pine forest is found in higher areas. QSBG displays plants and flowers year round. It was Thailand’s first botanical garden built according to international standards. It focuses on strengthening ''ex situ'' conservation of valuable Thai flora. The breeding programs for native Thai orchids are some of QSBG's most prominent efforts. Debuting in August of 2002, the glasshouse complex and network of greenhouses proudly maintains four ”seasonal” exhibition houses (which change according to time of year, plants’ blooming cycles, displaying of new plant arrivals, etc.), plus the eight main greenhouses, each one catering to specific plant families and growing conditions. These glasshouses include: Tropical Rainforest House - home to many native Thai and Southeast Asian plants, such as bananas, gingers, and palms. Arid House - a hot and drier house, displaying plants from ''

Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

'' (as well as

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

and many tender succulent plants), mainly from the Americas, including Mexico, Peru and Brazil. Additionally, African and Asian species of ''

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

'' are maintained, alongside numerous species of African

aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Accessed on: 06 Nov 2022 The most wid ...

. This glasshouse also features mature cycads. Orchids and Ferns House - This house features

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

and terrestrial orchids and ferns, with an emphasis on native Thai species. The orchid family encompasses around 25k species over 900

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, with around 1,200 native to Thailand. ''

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

'' is one of the most successful plant families on Earth, as well as being one of the most widespread. The most common Southeast Asian varieties are

Dendrobium ''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, i ...

and

Bulbophyllum ''Bulbophyllum'' is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is the largest genus in the orchid family and one of the largest genera of flowering plants with more than 2,000 species, exceeded in number onl ...

. Many Thai orchids are under threat, from illegal wild-harvesting to a widespread loss of habitat, due to deforestation. Aquatic House - over 100 species of aquatic and

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

plants, species that grow with their roots submerged, or partially submerged, on the banks of rivers, lagoons and other water bodies. One popular draw to this house are the massive water lilies ''

Victoria amazonica ''Victoria amazonica'' is a species of flowering plant, the second largest of the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. It is the national flower of Guyana. Its native regions are Guyana and tropical South America. Description The ''Victoria amazon ...

'', which are large enough for a small child or person to sit on comfortably. They block the sunlight underwater, outcompeting other species and enabling their own incredible growth. To reach the glasshouses from the main entrance is potentially an hour’s walk, up steep and hilly pathways, which some garden enthusiasts enjoy; however, most guests prefer to drive up, using the paved access roads.

Affiliate gardens

In addition to QSBG, the BGO manages four other botanical gardens in Thailand: Romklao Botanical Garden ( Phitsanulok Province), Rayong Botanic Garden (

Rayong Province Rayong province ( th, ระยอง, ) is one of seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') lies in Eastern Thailand#Administrative divisions, eastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Chonburi province, ...

), Khon Kaen Botanical Garden ( Khon Kaen Province) and Phra Mae Ya Botanic Garden ( Sukhothai Province).

References

External links

QSBG website
Geography of Chiang Mai province Environment of Thailand Botanical gardens in Thailand Tourist attractions in Chiang Mai province 1993 establishments in Thailand {{Botanical-garden-stub