Thailand is located in the tropical rain forest zone above the equator. This geographically supports very rich biodiversity, including the genus Piper (Piperaceae). Thirtyeight species of Piper, from out of over 1,000 species in the world, have been discovered recently (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006) by the authors. Plant morphology and plant use information were recorded via observation, market surveys, and interviews with traditional healers and local peoples. In this paper we provide ethnobotanical and botanical descriptions and illustrations of eight Piper species that are popularly used among Thai people as vegetables, spices, decoration and medicines and for traditional ceremonies. These species consist of P. betle L., P. longum L., P. nigrum L., P. pendulispicum C.DC., P. retrofractum Vahl, P. sarmentosum Roxb., P. wallichii (Miquel) Handel-Mazetti and a newly described Piper sp.

Thailand is a developing country that relies heavily on rice agriculture. Photographic techniques are an easy and efficient method for studying human activities, culture, traditions, ethnobotany, and ethnoeconomy. In this paper, photos are used to provide an ethnobotanical description of the rice growing process of rice farmers in Northeast Thailand, from preparing the rice fields to harvesting the rice."One picture can speak a thousand words."

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Nepenthes gracilis Korth. is a member of carnivorous plants in family Nepenthaceae. The plants have beautiful and economically important pitchers. It is interesting to study the protein(s) correlated with the pitcher. Crude proteins were extracted from leaf, leaf with developing pitcher and developed pitcher of the same plant and analyzed by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Two protein bands with molecular weights of 42.7 and 38 kDa were obtained from young leaf and leaf with developing pitcher, respectively. The 42.7 kDa protein was identified as phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), but the 38 kDa band is an unknown protein. Both proteins were differentially expressed in each developing stage of the pitcher, thus may be powerful candidates play role in development pathway of leaf and pitcher.