Edible insects in Lao PDR: building on tradition to enhance food security

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is a rugged, mountainous, landlocked country, with relatively weak infrastructure. As such, the country faces numerous challenges in achieving sustainable food security and nutrition for all its citizens. Concerted efforts of recent years have resulted in significant advances in ensuring food security, but serious challenges remain – particularly […]

Gymnosperms of Laos

Gymnosperm plant species form a small relictual group of higher plants, representing the most sensitive ancient elements of modern tropical floras. Gymnosperms are highly vulnerable to numerous destabilizing factors presently affecting the Earth’s biosphere.

World checklist of Bamboos and Rattans

This book contains a global checklist of all known species of bamboos and rattans. It is an authoritative source of information on accepted species of bamboos and  rattans, the correct names that should be applied to them, and the incorrect names  that should not be used. It has been compiled from expert data sources, edited […]

An annotated checklist of the Orchidaceae of Laos

A checklist is presented of the orchid flora of Laos, enumerating 485 species in 108 genera. An estimate is given of the expected size of the orchid flora of Laos. Notes on habitat, global and local distribution, endemism, conservation, phenology, as well as a systematic overview complement the checklist.

New and rare orchids (Orchidaceae) in the flora of Cambodia and Laos II

Herbarium material collected in 2013–2015 in Cambodia and Laos provides 298 new localities for 167 orchid species (from 57 genera). Almost all reported locations are new on the territory of studied countries. These data provide substantial basis for understanding of present day distribution of rare species needed protection. Among reported species, 8 species are new […]

Additions to the orchid flora of Laos and taxonomic notes on orchids of the Indo-Burma region

The following nine new additions to the orchid flora of Laos PDR are reported based on surveys in the country conducted during the period 2012–2017: Bulbophyllum alcicorne, B. meson, Coelogyne uaveolens, Cyrtosia nana, Dendrobium phuketense, Oberonia rhizoides, Phaius columnaris, Thelasis khasiana and  Zeuxine longilabris. The taxonomy of a further 15 orchid taxa (Bulbophyllum guttulatum, B. […]

Mushrooms for Trees and People: A field guide to useful mushrooms of the Mekong region

As part of biodiversity in the GMS, fungi, and more specifically, mushrooms play a special role. Micro-and small enterprise development is widely recognized as important in many developing countries. Yet when it comes to people earning money from non-timber forest products (NTFP’s), several studies of  commercially traded NTFP’s in Asia, Africa or Latin America have […]