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Management and use of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. in Thai wetlands

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Abstract

Management and use of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.—the lotus plant—was studied in 58 wetlands distributed throughout Thailand. Although traditionally harvested in extractive systems depending on natural wetlands, N. nucifera is now increasingly being managed. Two hundred eighty informants mentioned 20 different uses, mainly for food, medicine, and religious rites, in both subsistence and cash economies. The uses of N. nucifera appeared to be rather generalized throughout the country even if informants in the northern and central regions knew of more uses and ways of commercializing its products, possibly related to the abundance of wetlands and natural stand in those regions, and maybe also cultural differences.

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Acknowledgments

Much appreciation is due to all informants for cooperating and sharing their knowledge in this research. We thank Jim Luteyn for his comments to the manuscript. This work was financially supported by the Thailand Research Fund through the Royal Golden Jubilee Program grant (Grant No. PHD/0210/2543) to CT supporting the Ph.D. study of WL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand

    Woranuch La-ongsri & Chusie Trisonthi

  2. Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Botanical Garden Organization, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, 50180, Thailand

    Woranuch La-ongsri

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, Build. 1540, Ny Munkegade, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

    Henrik Balslev

Authors
  1. Woranuch La-ongsri
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  2. Chusie Trisonthi
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  3. Henrik Balslev
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Correspondence to Woranuch La-ongsri.

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La-ongsri, W., Trisonthi, C. & Balslev, H. Management and use of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. in Thai wetlands. Wetlands Ecol Manage 17, 279–289 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-008-9106-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-008-9106-6

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