Morphological database of fruits and seeds of trees in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park

Abtract: Doi Suthep-Pui National Park supports an exceptionally high diversity of vascular plants. Surveys conducted by J.F. Maxwell since 1987 have enumerated a total of 2,145 species to date, of which 447 are trees. The aim of this study was to provide baseline data for conservation and forest restoration research in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. The software package FoxPro was used to develop a database of fruit and seed morphology based on data collected from 140 of these tree species. The database facilitates analysis of this data for a variety of purposes. For example, 75 tree species had fleshy fruits, 40 tree species had dry dehiscent fruits, 22 tree species had dry indehiscent fruits and only 3 tree species had multiple fruits. Fleshy fruits were found all year round, but dry were found primarily between September and November. Large fruits (>2 cm length) were also found throughout the year, whereas the peak fruiting period for small fruits (<2 cm length) occurred between August and November. Database output of this kind is of considerable value for research in forest restoration and related fields.