Buddleia In Thailand? (for Butterflies)

[Steve2UK]

I'd like to plant some buddleia in my Chiang Mai garden (mainly because butterflies love them) - but a search around my local plant market has been unsuccessful and nobody knows what it is from the English/Latin name. So - does anyone know the Thai name and where I might get some? I did a Google search and found a reference to "racha wadi (muang?)" - this was actually in a scientific paper about invasive plants! Certainly, I know from the UK that buddleia can be really invasive so I'd keep an eye on it here.

But first, I need to find it............. any thoughts on the Thai name and/or source? Or alternative plants that attract butterflies more than usual?

On the subject of Thai plant names and insects, I'd also like to track down a plant that's supposed to be very good at repelling mosquito's. A local gardener gave me some plantlets that she called "mosa" - but I haven't been able to find more that I could buy in some quantity. Is that the right name? Their leaf habit looks very much like a type of marigold - which also has the reputation for being a fairly good mosquito (and other insect) repellent. I'm also planning to raise a lot of catnip plants from seed - a] to please the resident pet and b] because they also have the reputation for sending mossie's (as opposed to moggie's ) off in a huff.

Edit: Apologies if the last paragraph seems to be repeating some of what I have just discovered is touched on in other anti-mossie threads - but maybe this "mosa" is something different? Certainly seems to work in my gardener-friend's 3 rai in the hills outside Chiang Mai.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Steve2UK

[sbk]

There is a Buddleia that grows here in Thailand, it has white flowers and is more like a tall shrub or small tree. The flowers smell wonderful -- Buddleia Madagascariense, it is called Rachawadee in Thai, and is considered invasive in the US but since it is already pretty widely grown here, I don't think it can be considered an invasive. I had one, it got eaten by the caterpillars and died, so it can't be that invasive!

As for a source, well you'd have to ask around, someone may have a cutting, that is generally how it seems to get propagated, but you might find it for sale in a very large nursery

[Steve2UK]

There is a Buddleia that grows here in Thailand, it has white flowers and is more like a tall shrub or small tree. The flowers smell wonderful -- Buddleia Madagascariense, it is called Rachawadee in Thai, and is considered invasive in the US but since it is already pretty widely grown here, I don't think it can be considered an invasive. I had one, it got eaten by the caterpillars and died, so it can't be that invasive!

As for a source, well you'd have to ask around, someone may have a cutting, that is generally how it seems to get propagated, but you might find it for sale in a very large nursery

Thanks sbk - that's a good start. Your point about it being eaten by the caterpillars reminds us that there's two sides to most coins - in this case that we're not going to get the clouds of butterflies without the munching offspring to follow!

[cmsally]

Some pictures here:

Rachawadee

My neighbour has it outside her fence. You can find it in the plant market at Khamtieng. (Chiang Mai)

[sbk]

To attract butterflies, well, they like a bit of water so a nice little water feature is good, they also like a bit of shade and a bit of sun, so make sure they have some variety in your garden. Also, be sure to provide them plants that they do eat so that it will ensure a goodly future supply of butterflies. Two that seem particularly attractive to butterflies where I live are Dok Rak (Calotropis gigantea--Crown Flower) and Tabermontana divaricata--Crepe Jasmine-- It think it is Phut Jeep in Thai, but not sure.

[Steve2UK]

Some pictures here:

Rachawadee

My neighbour has it outside her fence. You can find it in the plant market at Khamtieng. (Chiang Mai)

Thanks Sally, looks gorgeous! I'll be down there tomorrow asking around.

[Steve2UK]

To attract butterflies, well, they like a bit of water so a nice little water feature is good, they also like a bit of shade and a bit of sun, so make sure they have some variety in your garden. Also, be sure to provide them plants that they do eat so that it will ensure a goodly future supply of butterflies. Two that seem particularly attractive to butterflies where I live are Dok Rak (Calotropis gigantea--Crown Flower) and Tabermontana divaricata--Crepe Jasmine-- It think it is Phut Jeep in Thai, but not sure.

Thanks sbk - nice suggestions. I have 3 different jasmines already - but not that one (found a good pic here: http://www.floridata.com/ref/T/tabe_div.cfm) and I have enough trees to provide the mix of sun/shade. Also have a small concrete pool stocked with ever-extending generations of goldfish - but with enough floating islands of something that the butterflies can (and do) land on safely for drinking.......... as do many bees and dragonflies etc.

Another two for the list at my local plant market tomorrow .

[sbk]

Crepe Jasmine is not a true jasmine, but it still has a nice smell, very pretty flowers and glossy leaves, more like a gardenia. Mine has stayed small, less than a meter high. Make sure to get the double flowered one. I'll go take a photo now and post it here so you can see what mine looks like.

[sbk]

Ok, standing next to the bush, it is more than 1m high, perhaps a bit taller than 1.5 with a spread of about 1m. But it is also fairly old, maybe 6-7 years.

[Steve2UK]

Thanks so much, sbk - specially braving the mossies at this hour! Looks beautiful - great flowers and beautiful foliage to boot. Also looks like it will be denser as a shrub than most other "true" jasmines I've seen. That one's a must.........

P.S. I'm writing this as the combined fragrances of my ylang ylang, latee (ratree?) and other jasmines wafts through the windows...............

[sbk]

Ylang Ylang (Cananga Odorata) is a fabulous plant but I can't say that I've seen any butterflies (or caterpillars) visiting mine. Never mind, the fragrance is wonderful! It is called Kradang nga in Thai. Ratree is, I believe, called night blooming jasmine or Queen of the night, Cestrum Nocturnum.

[TBWG]

I'd like to plant some buddleia in my Chiang Mai garden (mainly because butterflies love them) - but a search around my local plant market has been unsuccessful and nobody knows what it is from the English/Latin name. So - does anyone know the Thai name and where I might get some? I did a Google search and found a reference to "racha wadi (muang?)" - this was actually in a scientific paper about invasive plants! Certainly, I know from the UK that buddleia can be really invasive so I'd keep an eye on it here.

But first, I need to find it............. any thoughts on the Thai name and/or source? Or alternative plants that attract butterflies more than usual?

On the subject of Thai plant names and insects, I'd also like to track down a plant that's supposed to be very good at repelling mosquito's. A local gardener gave me some plantlets that she called "mosa" - but I haven't been able to find more that I could buy in some quantity. Is that the right name? Their leaf habit looks very much like a type of marigold - which also has the reputation for being a fairly good mosquito (and other insect) repellent. I'm also planning to raise a lot of catnip plants from seed - a] to please the resident pet and b] because they also have the reputation for sending mossie's (as opposed to moggie's ) off in a huff.

Edit: Apologies if the last paragraph seems to be repeating some of what I have just discovered is touched on in other anti-mossie threads - but maybe this "mosa" is something different? Certainly seems to work in my gardener-friend's 3 rai in the hills outside Chiang Mai.

Hi

A cheaper and vastly quicker solution might be to put a few saucers of sugar water around the garden, this seems to work well in butterfly farms, yes I know they have a captive audience but they seem to love the mixture!

Saucers seem to be set at about 3 feet off the ground for max attraction.

Being a simple soul I assume sugar water is just that a mixture of sugar and water, but then what do I know I think Bombay Duck is a fish!!

Good luck might even give it a whirl myself. Boss lady says the big swallow tail jobs are aroy mak mak joking

TBWG

[Steve2UK]

Thanks to sbk and cmsally, I now have all three butterfly-magnets that were mentioned - rachawadee, dok rak and phut jeep. Naturally, you don't come away from a plant market with just what you went in there for............ so I also carted off a giant gardenia (that one's for me - the butterflies can fly around it ) and I also spotted the English-type (very common in London) buddleia I had been looking for - heavy purple/blue cones of blossom. Curiously, whereas the rest were 10 or 25 baht a plant (and the huge gardenia was 200 baht)......... these were 80 baht apiece - for not very big plants (but then they grow like crazy). Import prices?

TBWG - I'll experiment with your nectar saucers idea. If it doesn't attract the local wasps, could be good!