When someone says Chiang Mai it makes me think of paper umbrellas, elephants, spas and orchids.
At the end of the cool season there is a spontaneous explosion of colour in the trees around the city that brings so much joy to the locals and visitors alike.
Some people even find it gives them the strength to endure the beginning of the hot season which it symbolises.
If Chiang Mai was to have a new emblem, it would be the images of two fantastic stately trees that blossom at around this time of year: the Ngiew, with its orange and red blossoms, and the Tong Gwow with its lighter, yellow and orange blossoms.
Tong Gwow: This Tong Gwow tree is particularly well known and has attracted such names as Bastard Teak and Forest Flame.
It is the symbol of the local university as it symbolises strength, sturdiness and beauty.
It's a deciduous tree with a crooked trunk that can grow up to 45 feet.
The students of the university have a saying that when the first blossoms start to appear it's time to start studying, as that means that it's almost the time of year for final exams! The full blossoms appear sometime between January and April.
The fruit it bears is about 5cm long and oblong shaped, usually curved, and covered with thick but very short silky soft hairs.
This fruit gives us the gum known as Bengal Kino.
The Amari Rincome hotel is famous for having one of these trees on their premises and they named their grill room after it! The tree yields a soft wood which is only good for pond panelling wall as it tends to shrink.
Its bark is used as a treatment for diarrhoea.
Its flowers can also be used, this time for as a colour dye and also to produce medicine for urinary stimulation and relief from fever.
The seeds can be used to treat worms and last but not least, the leaf can be used as a skin treatment, to help acne.
Finally, the Tong Gwow tree is held in very high regard and is a very auspicious symbol that should be planted wherever possible to bring good luck and fortune.
At the end of the cool season there is a spontaneous explosion of colour in the trees around the city that brings so much joy to the locals and visitors alike.
Some people even find it gives them the strength to endure the beginning of the hot season which it symbolises.
If Chiang Mai was to have a new emblem, it would be the images of two fantastic stately trees that blossom at around this time of year: the Ngiew, with its orange and red blossoms, and the Tong Gwow with its lighter, yellow and orange blossoms.
Tong Gwow: This Tong Gwow tree is particularly well known and has attracted such names as Bastard Teak and Forest Flame.
It is the symbol of the local university as it symbolises strength, sturdiness and beauty.
It's a deciduous tree with a crooked trunk that can grow up to 45 feet.
The students of the university have a saying that when the first blossoms start to appear it's time to start studying, as that means that it's almost the time of year for final exams! The full blossoms appear sometime between January and April.
The fruit it bears is about 5cm long and oblong shaped, usually curved, and covered with thick but very short silky soft hairs.
This fruit gives us the gum known as Bengal Kino.
The Amari Rincome hotel is famous for having one of these trees on their premises and they named their grill room after it! The tree yields a soft wood which is only good for pond panelling wall as it tends to shrink.
Its bark is used as a treatment for diarrhoea.
Its flowers can also be used, this time for as a colour dye and also to produce medicine for urinary stimulation and relief from fever.
The seeds can be used to treat worms and last but not least, the leaf can be used as a skin treatment, to help acne.
Finally, the Tong Gwow tree is held in very high regard and is a very auspicious symbol that should be planted wherever possible to bring good luck and fortune.
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