DICTIONARY OF PLANTS
Used in Cambodia
ABOUT DICTIONARY
Dr. DY PHON PAULINE
THE HISTORY
Copyright DY PHON PAULINE
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OUR INTENTION with the present work is to gather within a single volume all the Cambodian vernacular plant names. Until now, no such enterprise has been undertaken. For years we have worked to fill this gap.
This book is based on 12 YEARS of teaching botany at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, followed since 1981 by research in phanerogamy at the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris,
This trilingual work (English, French and Khmer) includes 1254 species of higher plants with Khmer designations and uses in Cambodia. Species with unknown vernacular names have been ignored.
Each species is described as briefly as possible, according to the following sequence:
- Biological type (tree, bush, herb, liana...)
- Habitat (type of environment where the species grows)
- Distribution (geographical zone where the species grows)
- Uses in Cambodia
FOREWORD
I was much affected when Pauline Dy Phon asked me to preface her book. I don’t find any other motivation for this foreword than my knowledge, acquired in the course of so many decades, of her outstanding qualities as a researcher and teacher in the field of tropical vegetal biology, especially of Cambodia. It was during my stays in Cambodia, as a lecturer and advisor in fishing oceanography, that I was soon informed about the high esteem of Mrs Dy Phon’s teaching and research, firstly in the Lycée Sisowath and soon in the Phnom Penh University. I had the pleasure to meet her, to benefit from her broad culture and to discover how much she was appreciated by the authorities of Cambodia and of neighbouring countries; she was indeed Chairwoman of the Science and Culture Commision of the Cambodian government (with ministerial status) and member of the Southeast Asia Education Ministries Organization.
After several years of political turmoils, and from peaceful botanic prospectings to painful deportations, Mrs Dy Phon managed to take refuge in France, and was welcomed by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle who appointed her as a researcher in the Phanerogamy department. There, she worked on unexploited collections which "essential being" she was able to catch, discovering the existence of five new genuses in Indochina and four new species in the world. In 1980, a major part of her research on Cambodian and general vegetal biology won her the Prix Coincy de l’Académie des Sciences. Her reputation incited the French authorities to support her for important missions in various parts of the world, and as the situation in Cambodia improved, she could undertake several research trips in her own country. Her major intention however was to achieve a valuable work for her motherland, and this is why she published this trilingual dictionary of all the higher plants names known in Cambodia, of their habitat, uses, food and therapeutic values, dangers…
This vast subject will be dealt with in the annexes. What should be emphasized is the importance of this book for all Cambodian, for people from numerous tropical areas, as well as for many biologists. Moreover, although this work resulted from a botanical approach opened to systematics, to ecology, and to several branches of vegetal biology, including their applications, it is also a produce of an exemplary Franco-Cambodian cooperation - which do not exclude other cooperations. The Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture decided to take charge of the publication of this volume. It has to be congratulated for this initiative, which will give a strong evidence of the rediscovered vigour of Cambodian science, both fundamental and applied. I sincerely wish that this dictionary will find a wide success which will contribute to the revival of Cambodia, a country with such a glorious past.
Prof. Maurice FONTAINE
Member of Institut de France
Plant's Classification
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FOREWORD
Dear Readers!
In order to enhance the meaning and depth of the dictionary "Plants Used in Cambodia" by Mrs. Pauline Dy Phon, aligning it with the necessary demands. of knowledge in a rational and contemporary manner, as well as facilitating communication within the digital system within the current social context.
Due to past shortcomings, insecurity, and difficulties in traveling into the forest to research and gather photographs for the dictionary, which were not yet sufficient.
I, Sokha Phally, originally Tan Phally, along with my two daughters and the biological family of Mrs. Dy Phon Pauline, originally Tan Pauline, intend to preserve the dictionary "Plants Used in Cambodia" to be beneficial and significant for readers, students, researchers, and to improve it further over time and with new approaches. This is to leave behind a legacy that Dr. Dy Phon Pauline strived to create with her physical and mental effort, intelligence, and resources, compiling it as a work for future researchers to use for their respective needs.
This edition is reprinted with the text retyped according to the original book, with some corrections to the orthography based on the original manuscript compiled by the author. In addition, missing images have been added, extracted from the existing plant names by the author. The reason for retyping the text is that the computer files from that time were unclear, and some documents were lost. The main objective is to make it available in an App (Website) format, so that youth, students, researchers, and readers can easily search for the words they need to use.
On this auspicious occasion, I, Oknha Dr. Tan Phally, request your kind understanding and apologize in advance for any shortcomings that may inadvertently arise in this new analysis. I welcome any feedback for improvement from our valued
readers.
May you, our esteemed readers, be blessed with good health, clarity of mind, and enduring success in all aspects of life.
Lok Chumteav Oknha Tan Phally
Doctor of Business Administration Research and Doctor of Philosophy Research