Melodorum fruticosum

Melodorum fruticosum
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. Thailand.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Melodorum
Species: M. fruticosum
Binomial name
Melodorum fruticosum
(Lour.) Merr.

Melodorum fruticosum, the white cheesewood (Thai: ลำดวน), is a plant of the Annonaceae family native to South-East Asia. It is one of the two species considered the national flower of Cambodia. It is also the provincial flower of Sisaket Province, Thailand.

Description

This plant has a cream-coloured flower with a single alternate leaf.[1] It gives out a pleasant fragrance, especially in the evening. It also has medical uses as a tonic and mild cardiac stimulant and hematinic.

This small tree reaches a height between 8 and 12 m. It is very common in Cambodia, where it is often planted as a decorative tree in public parks. Khmer women have been compared to the Rumdul flower in ancient Cambodian literature and folklore.[2]

Traditional Thai cookies in the shape of the ลำดวน (lom duom) flower

In Thailand a traditional cookie, also called ลำดวน (lom duom), is made in the shape of the flower.

See also

References

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