My Recollections of Myanmar Orchids

If I remember correctly, around 1998, a Myanmar orchid exhibition was held at the location where the M3 football pitch now stands. Most of the orchids displayed for this exhibition were brought in from Thailand, offering us the chance to witness a wide variety of colorful and uniquely beautiful orchid species.

Anyone who flew with Thai Airways back in those days will likely remember how passengers were routinely given identical, uniform orchid blossoms as a keepsake souvenir. These little flowers—bred to be uniform in size and color—served as a symbol of Thailand's thriving floriculture and orchid industry at the time.

During that period, I was working as a Protocol Officer for a Thailand-based company located in Yangon. Consequently, I took on responsibilities related to the orchid exhibition's logistics and coordination—such as liaising with relevant government departments when Thai orchid experts visited Myanmar.

Additionally, I had the task of guiding those Thai specialists around local ornamental flower farms of the time, including the Chinn Chaung rose nursery and large commercial plots where double jasmine (hnyin hsee), noble orchids (thazin), and various other orchid species were cultivated.

While assisting them, the visiting Thai orchid experts expressed a strong fascination with Myanmar's native wild orchid species and shared their desire to acquire them.

They explained that because Thailand had been commercially crossbreeding and cultivating orchids for a long period, they were facing a decline in genetic quality. Consequently, they needed original, unhybridized wild orchid species growing naturally in Myanmar’s forests.

Back then, one could frequently find wild orchid clumps naturally clinging to large trees around the Shwegontine area—near where the current Sakura Housing is built—as well as around Kandawgyi Lake. Prompted by this, I investigated further and discovered authentic wild orchids along the ascent of the Rakhine-Taunggok highway, alongside vast and stunning bamboo forests.

In our professional circles at the time, these orchids were referred to as "L-Zero." This was not meant to be a scientific name; rather, it was likely an industry slang term used back then to designate a specific group of original wild orchids.

Later on, after obtaining official permission from the Myanmar Forest Department, those orchids were systematically harvested and shipped out in large quantities.

Reflecting on this today, I realize even more that Myanmar is a country blessed not only with beautiful ornamental flowers but also with immense natural gene pools—including massive bamboo forests and native species vital for research and future agricultural development.

I firmly believe that if we protect these precious natural heritages from reckless harvesting and commercial trade—safeguarding them under relevant laws, official permits, and scientific conservation breeding systems—Myanmar's orchids will continue to offer their beauty and value for generations to come.

— Aung Myo Lwin (Ko Agga)