Associate Professor Soulivanh Lanorsavanh

Associate Professor Soulivanh Lanorsavanh is a lecturer and the Deputy Head of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, National University of Laos (NUoL). He has dedicated his academic career to the study of plant morphology and the vascular flora of Lao PDR. His work is driven by a deep passion for […]

Annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs from Laos (Mollusca, Gastropoda)

The land area of Laos is composed of a large variety of undisturbed habitats, such as high mountainous areas, huge limestone karsts and the lower Mekong Basin. Therefore, Laos is expected to have a high species diversity, especially for the land snails. However, with respect to research on malacology, Laos is probably the least well-researched […]

Cash crops in the uplands: the cardamom experienc

Farmers are often blamed for destroying tropical forests, especially in the Lao PDR. Converting shifting cultivation into cash crop-based agriculture is recurrently presented as the solution merging forest protection and poverty alleviation. However, many attempts in the recent past have ended in failure. The Rural Development Project of Phongsaly District (PDDP) has tried to introduce […]

Two new species and 18 new records for the flora of Laos

Six pteridophyte species of five families and 12 spermatophyte species of 10 families are reported from Bolaven Plateau, southern Laos, as new records to the flora of Laos. Moreover, two new species, Sterculia bolavenensis (Malvaceae) and Wikstroemia bolavenensis (Thymelaeaceae), are described. For each species, voucher specimens are cited, photographs are shown and additional information including […]

Two new genera of Apocynaceae in Laos

Examination of unidentified Apocynaceae specimens at QBG and SING lead to the discovery of one specimen of Meladerma deciduum and two specimens of Harmandiella cordifolia from Laos. Harmandiella was earlier considered endemic to Thailand and Vietnam while Meladerma was earlier reported from Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. Harmandiella cordifolia and Meladerma deciduum are typified

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of Laos toward the discovery of bioactive compounds as potential candidates for pharmaceutical development

Using semi-structured field interviews with healers in the Lao PDR, plant samples were collected, extracted, and bio-assayed to detect bioactivity against cancer, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria. Plant species demonstrating activity were recollected and the extracts subjected to a bioassay-guided isolation protocol to isolate and identify the active compounds.