This article contains a list of the more than 2,200 vascular plant species of Doi Suthep–Pui National Park in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand from Maxwell & Elliott (2011:63-154).
Representative species by floral zone Doi Suthep–Pui National Park displays altitudinal zonation. This section lists some of the characteristic species of each floral zone.
Bamboo/deciduous seasonal forest Of the 173 tree species which occur in bamboo/deciduous forest, 125 (72%) are deciduous and 31 are common or abundant.
Trees that are commercially valuable include: Tectona grandis (heavily reduced by logging) Xylia xylocarpa var. kerrii Dalbergia cultrata Pterocarpus macrocarpus Lagerstroemia cochinchinensis Chukrasia tabularis Afzelia xylocarpa
Other characteristic trees are: Colona flagrocarpa Schleichera oleosa Terminalia chebula Terminalia mucronata Sterculia pexa Spondias pinnata Alstonia scholaris Protium serratum Adina trichotoma (especially near streams)
Common understory trees include: Vitex canescens Vitex limonifolia Cassia fistula Antidesma acidum Phyllanthus emblica Stereospermum neuranthum
Characteristic deciduous understory treelets include: Desmodium laxiflorum Desmodium pulchellum
Woody climbers (lianas) are often quite large. There are 55 species, of which 65% are deciduous. They include: Millettia cinerea Millettia extensa Combretum latifolium Congea tomentosa
There are 30 shrub species, of which 63% are deciduous. Shrubs are represented by many species in bamboo/deciduous forest. Some typical examples are: Helicteres elongata Helicteres hirsuta Desmodium gangeticum Desmodium velutinum Sericocalyx quadrifarius Phyllanthus sootepensis Sauropus hirsutus
Bamboos include: Bambusa membranacea Bambusa tulda Dendrocalamus nudus
Bamboo/deciduous forest supports 38 species of epiphytes, most of which are perennial and 58% of which are evergreen. They mostly belong to 3 groups: Moraceae (figs, many of which begin their lives as epiphytes) Orchidaceae (orchids) Pteridophyta (ferns)
Species particularly characteristic of bamboo/deciduous forest include: Ficus heterophylla, an evergreen woody climber Ficus microcarpa, an evergreen tree Cymbidium aloifolium, a succulent evergreen herb Platycerium wallichii Drynaria bonii Scurrula atropurpurea, an evergreen hemiparasitic epiphyte
Epiliths include 12 species, usually restricted to rocks in streams. They include ferns such as: Selaginella kurzii Pteris decrescens
There are also several species of the family Gesneriaceae, include: Chirita hamosa Streptocarpus orientalis
The following herbs flower in April before their leaves appear: gingers: Globba nuda Kaempferia rotunda orchids: Geodorum siamense Nervilia aragoana Nervilia plicata aroids: Amorphophallus macrorhizus
Species appearing in May and June, at the start of the rainy season: Curcuma parviflora Stemona burkillii Geodorum recurvum Habenaria thailandica Peristylus constrictus
Plants that mature by July and August include ferns, etc. such as: Selaginella ostenfeldii Anisocampium cumingianum Kuniwatsukia cuspidata Dryopteris cochleata (has bimorphic fronds; a characteristic fern)
The grass most characteristic of the ground flora in bamboo/deciduous forest is: Oryza meyeriana var. granulata
Other common grasses, which also occur in other habitats and are highly combustible during the hot dry season, are: Microstegium vagans Panicum notatum
A total of 316 herb species has been recorded in bamboo/deciduous forest, of which 294 are ground herbs. Of those, 65% are perennial.
Deciduous dipterocarp-oak seasonal forest In seasonally dry or degraded areas, from the lowlands up to about 800-900 m elevation, deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest replaces bamboo/deciduous forest. It is a secondary, fire climax forest which merges with bamboo/deciduous forest, but is never replaced with mixed evergreen/deciduous forest.
It contains less biodiversity with only 99 tree species, of which 24 are common or abundant.
Dominant tree species of the Dipterocarpaceae include: Dipterocarpus tuberculatus (especially common along ridge crests) Dipterocarpus obtusifolius (more common on gentle slopes or in slightly moister areas) Shorea obtusa Shorea siamensis
Common Fagaceae species include: Quercus kerrii Quercus aliena Quercus brandisiana Castanopsis argyrophylla (one of the very few evergreen tree species in deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest)
Other characteristic trees are: Phoenix loureiroi (a small, fire resistant palm) Ochna integerrima
Additional common species: Buchanania glabra Buchanania lanzan Craibiodendron stellatum Eugenia cumini Dalbergia cultrata Gluta usitata Symplocos racemosa Strychnos nux-vomica
2 tree species have rapid leaf turnover, flushing new leaves at the same time as the old leaves are shed. They include: Tristaniopsis burmanica var. rufescens Anneslea fragrans
The following tree is very common at higher elevations (650-800 m), along with the two trees listed above: Aporosa villosa
Deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest supports only 14 species of woody climbers, but the deciduous species that are easily found are: Spatholobus parviflorus Aganosma marginata Celastrus paniculatus
Shrubs (29 species) and treelets (48 species) are abundant. Some common examples are: Helicteres isora Grewia abutilifolia Grewia lacei Desmodium motorium Desmodium triangulare Indigofera cassioides Gardenia obtusifolia Pavetta fruticosa Strobilanthes apricus var. pedunculatus Premna herbacea Premna nana Breynia fruticosa Breynia glauca Sauropus bicolor Sauropus quadrangularis Pueraria wallichii (a deciduous shrub; often scandent) Mussaenda parva (a deciduous vine, woody climber, or scandent shrub)
Vines, often found in open, often burned, areas, are also common: Dunbaria bella Solena amplexicaulis Streptocaulon juventas Argyreia henryi
47 of the recorded vascular plant species live as epiphytes. Some of the most characteristic are evergreen, succulent, vines and creepers in the Asclepiadaceae, such as: Dischidia major (has two kinds of leaves, i.e. normal and bladder-like ones which have a symbiotic relationship with ants) Dischidia nummularia Hoya kerrii (less common than Hoya verticillata)
There are numerous succulent, evergreen and deciduous Orchidaceae (orchids), such as: Cleisomeria lanatum Cleisostoma arietinum Cymbidium ensifolium Dendrobium lindleyi Dendrobium porphyrophyllum Dendrobium secundum Eria acervata Eria pannea Rhynchogyna saccata Vanda brunnea
2 deciduous Polypodiaceae (fern) species, both with characteristically distinct growth forms, are also frequently seen: Drynaria rigidula Platycerium wallichii
Of the 274 ground herbs which have been recorded, 111 (40%) are annuals. Some of the more common examples are: Polygala longifolia Biophytum umbraculum Crotalaria alata Crotalaria albida Crotalaria neriifolia Indigofera hirsuta Uraria lacei Blumea lacera Gynura integrifolia Pluchea polygonata
Robust, deciduous Poaceae (grasses) dominate and are all very combustible during the hot dry season from March to May. Some of the more common species are: Apluda mutica Aristida cumingiana Arundinella setosa Capillipedium assimile Eulalia siamensis Heteropogon contortus Polytoca digitata Schizachyrium sanguineum
Cyperaceae (sedges) are also common in this fire-prone habitat. Typical species include: Bulbostylis barbata Carex continua Cyperus cuspidatus Fimbristylis straminea Rhynchospora rubra Scleria kerrii Scleria levis
Zingiberaceae (gingers) species, all of which are deciduous, are quite common. Typical species include: Curcuma ecomata Curcuma parviflora Curcuma zedoaria Globba nuda Globba villosula Kaempferia rotunda
Other common ground herbs include: Barleria cristata Geniosporum coloratum Striga masuria (parasitic on the roots of other plants) Aeginetia indica (parasitic on the roots of other plants)
Common ferns: Adiantum philippense Adiantum zollingeri Cheilanthes tenuifolia Selaginella ostenfeldii (a common, deciduous, ground fern ally)
Mixed evergreen/deciduous seasonal forest From about 800 m elevation (600 m near permanent streams) to about 1000 m, there is a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees.
217 tree species have been recorded, with only about 43% of them being deciduous trees. The tree flora is similar to that of the bamboo/deciduous forest.
The characteristic tall, emergent, evergreen, dipterocarps, which have large gray trunks, small leaves, and open, broad crowns, are: Dipterocarpus costatus Dipterocarpus turbinatus
In contrast, the deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest has large-leaved dipterocarps.
Other common tree species: Mangifera caloneura Eugenia albiflora Balakata baccata (shared with evergreen forest)
Other tall evergreen trees: Duabanga grandiflora Irvingia malayana
Some common deciduous canopy trees are: Lagerstroemia cochinchinensis var. ovalifolia Lagerstroemia tomentosa Spondias pinnata Terminalia mucronata Engelhardia serrata
Common evergreen understory trees include: Garcinia speciosa Lithocarpus elegans Scleropyrum wallichianum var. siamensis Turpinia pomifera Knema laurina Cinnamomum iners Baccaurea ramiflora
A common deciduous understory tree: Bauhinia variegata
71 treelet and 19 shrub species have been recorded. Common treelets and shrubs include: Millettia caerulea (deciduous)
Ixora cibdela var. puberula (evergreen) Psychotria ophioxyloides (evergreen)
Woody climbers are common. 62 species have been recorded, including the following deciduous species: Combretum trifoliatum Combretum latifolium Ventilago denticulata
Evergreen species that are common in this biozone, especially along streams, include: Combretum sundaicum Rhamnus nepalensis Tetrastigma laoticum
57 of the vascular plant species grow as epiphytes. The most specious groups are the figs (Moraceae, many of which are epiphytes only when young), orchids, and pteridophytes, but the Gesneriaceae and Loranthaceae are also represented.
Characteristic epiphytes are: Bulbophyllum congestum Bulbophyllum propinquum
Typical hemiparasites include: Helixanthera pulchra Dendrophthoe pentandra
The ground flora is diverse and includes both annual, perennial, deciduous and evergreen species. Of the 278 ground herbs recorded, 25% are annual. Common deciduous herbs include: Strobilanthes anfractuosus Ruellia siamensis Begonia integrifolia Zingiber kerrii Globba villosula
Evergreen herb species are more common (comprising 60% of ground perennials) and include: Tacca chantrieri Amomum uliginosum
Typical ferns include: Thelypteris arida Cibotium barometz
Primary evergreen seasonal forest (without pine) The upper part of the mixed evergreen/deciduous forest usually merges with the lower part of the evergreen forest at 900-950 m elevation.
Evergreen forest supports more tree species than any of the other forest types. 250 species have been recorded, of which only 67 (27%) are deciduous.
The evergreen forest has a wide variety of trees, with no dominant species or genera. Trees belong to diverse families, such as Lauraceae, Fagaceae, Theaceae, Moraceae, Magnoliaceae, and other families.
Characteristic evergreen canopy trees include: Alseodaphne andersonii Beilschmiedia aff. intermedia Cryptocarya amygdalina Artocarpus lanceolata
Several gigantic "strangling" figs: Ficus altissima Ficus benjamina
Characteristic Fagaceae species are: Quercus augustinei, syn. Quercus glabricupula Quercus vestita Quercus incana Quercus lineata
Castanopsis spp. tend to be shared with other forest types, including: Castanopsis acuminatissima Castanopsis armata
Other characteristic evergreen trees include: Pyrenaria garrettiana Garcinia mckeaniana Casearia grewiifolia var. gelonioides Chionanthus sutepensis Elaeocarpus prunifolius Dysoxylum aff. hamiltonii Ostodes paniculata Diospyros malabarica
A few of the larger deciduous canopy species include: Michelia champaca Michelia baillonii Homalium ceylanicum Melia toosendan Morus macroura
Most also occur in the deciduous forest types.