Nong Khun
or Ratchaphruek
Nong Khun, Team Leader of the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek
mascots is also known by his full name, “Ratchaphruek”
which means the Golden Shower Tree, the national tree
of Thailand.
Nong Khun and his buddies have been on a Royal Flora
Ratchaphruek tour around Thailand. Nong Khun is a nature
lover and a thrill-seeker at heart. He likes action
and adventure … and constantly goes in search of new
knowledge. He's creative – always coming up with new
thoughts and ideas and thinking up new challenges for
his friends.
Nong
Kulap,
Nong Kulap represents the Queen Sirikit Rose, a hybrid
tea rose considered to be ‘rose royalty'. A cross between
the Color Wonder and Golden Giant
varieties of rose, the Queen Sirikit Rose is a hybrid
tea rose of impressive quality, noted for its large blossom
consisting of multiple layers of delicately fragrant bright
yellow petals trimmed with a reddish hue growing from
a long strong stem. Nong Kulap is sweet, smart, gentle,
polite, gracious, humble, patient, cautious and thorough.
She's a modern young lady but well-endowed with the fine
qualities of a traditional Thai lady. She's equally skilled
in Thai culinary art and traditional Thai handicraft.
Nari, representing Lady's
Slipper, paphiopedilum Nari
is a naughty little princess who is Kulap's neighbor.
A mischievious character, Nari always gets into trouble
and leaves a trail of chaos wherever she goes. Smart…
in sort of a cheeky sort of way, Nari has many funny
stories to share with us.
Bua
Bua, symbolic of the lotus, represents all that is pure
and embodies Buddhist virtues. Bua is a conservative
Thai beauty who diligently observes time-honored Thai
customs and traditions in every detail. Given Bua's aristocratic
upbringing, Bua is highly skilled in traditional Thai
art and crafts such as the preparation of Thai food and
desserts, the art of making floral garlands, fruit and
vegetable carving and other crafts. Bua is every bit a
true Thai girl. She's sensitive, easily frightened and
cries a lot. Bua and Kulap are childhood friends and are
often seen together.
Kan Yao Kan
Yao represents durian — ‘king’ of
tropical fruit. Kan Yao is a young lad from Chanthaburi
province. He has a robust well-built physique. Kan Yao
is a good-natured, fun-loving and down to earth sort
of guy. He’s a natural comedian ever ready to
share light-hearted jokes with his friends and is much
loved by everyone he meets. Kan Yao loves to read and
has a keen interest in horticulture. He also enjoys
spending time with Tha Thung, from whom he gains much
knowledge about horticulture.
Mangkhut
Mangkhut represents mangosteen. ‘Queen’ of
tropical fruits, mangosteen has delicate snow-white flesh
that is deliciously sweet and flavorful. Mangkhut is a
hot favorite with the Kan Yao lads. Self-assured and confident,
Mangkhut is a true socialite. She indulges in luxury and
is always ‘in trend’. Also an extrovert, Mangkhut
loves to sing and model, posing for fashion photos at
every opportunity. Mangkhut’s vocabulary is distinctly
T-inglish.
Fak Bua
Fak Bua represents the plant watering can. A young lad
who tends the gardens, Fak Bua loves gardening
with his heart and soul. He waters the plants, tills
the soil and looks after his precious plants with tender
love and care everyday so they blossom and bloom. When
friends squabble and fight and tempers flare, Fak Bua
cools things down. He’s loved by all.
Chon
Chon represents the Chinese radish, native to the Asian
continent. A country boy from the northern hills
with a love of adventure, Chon has dreams of traveling
the world so Chinese radish becomes known to the world.
Chon is temperamental and short-tempered and often creates
a scene. He’s really not quite with it and is frequently
out of step. He sees himself as a ‘cool dude’,
clever and courageous but when the going gets tough, Chon
is first to flee the scene. Jon vows to play tricks on
Nari but as he’s forever tripping over himself,
he has yet to succeed.
Ta Thung,
the scarecrow
Ta Thung is a gentle and kind old man we affectionately
call ‘grandpa’ (‘khun ta’ in
Thai). Ta Thung represents the scarecrow, the loyal
and trusted friend of the farmers. Baked by the sun
and battered
by the wind and rain, the scarecrow stands guard and
remains vigilant chasing away birds that threaten to
invade the rice-fields. Never short of entertaining
stories to share with his young friends, Ta Thung is
adored by the children. He’s also their best friend.
A wise and knowledgeable man, the young ones seek his
advice. He listens to them patiently and helps solve
their problems. Kan Yao, the young man from Chanthaburi,
frequently stops by to seek Ta Thung’s advice
on matters related to agriculture… as well as
affairs of the heart. Time after time, Kan Yao walks
away with sound advice and is never disappointed.
ROYAL FLORA RATCHAPHRUEK 2006
International Horticultural Exposition
for His Majesty the King
At the Royal Agricultural Research Center, Chiang Mai,
Thailand
1 November 2006 – 31 January 2007
“Ratchaphruek”
which means the Golden Shower Tree, the national tree
of Thailand. 
hybrid
tea rose of impressive quality, noted for its large blossom
consisting of multiple layers of delicately fragrant bright
yellow petals trimmed with a reddish hue growing from
a long strong stem. Nong Kulap is sweet, smart, gentle,
polite, gracious, humble, patient, cautious and thorough.
She's a modern young lady but well-endowed with the fine
qualities of a traditional Thai lady. She's equally skilled
in Thai culinary art and traditional Thai handicraft.
Nari
is a naughty little princess who is Kulap's neighbor.
A mischievious character, Nari always gets into trouble
and leaves a trail of chaos wherever she goes. Smart…
in sort of a cheeky sort of way, Nari has many funny
stories to share with us. 
conservative
Thai beauty who diligently observes time-honored Thai
customs and traditions in every detail. Given Bua's aristocratic
upbringing, Bua is highly skilled in traditional Thai
art and crafts such as the preparation of Thai food and
desserts, the art of making floral garlands, fruit and
vegetable carving and other crafts. Bua is every bit a
true Thai girl. She's sensitive, easily frightened and
cries a lot. Bua and Kulap are childhood friends and are
often seen together. 
Kan
Yao represents durian — ‘king’ of
tropical fruit. Kan Yao is a young lad from Chanthaburi
province. He has a robust well-built physique. Kan Yao
is a good-natured, fun-loving and down to earth sort
of guy. He’s a natural comedian ever ready to
share light-hearted jokes with his friends and is much
loved by everyone he meets. Kan Yao loves to read and
has a keen interest in horticulture. He also enjoys
spending time with Tha Thung, from whom he gains much
knowledge about horticulture. 
flesh
that is deliciously sweet and flavorful. Mangkhut is a
hot favorite with the Kan Yao lads. Self-assured and confident,
Mangkhut is a true socialite. She indulges in luxury and
is always ‘in trend’. Also an extrovert, Mangkhut
loves to sing and model, posing for fashion photos at
every opportunity. Mangkhut’s vocabulary is distinctly
T-inglish. 
gardening
with his heart and soul. He waters the plants, tills
the soil and looks after his precious plants with tender
love and care everyday so they blossom and bloom. When
friends squabble and fight and tempers flare, Fak Bua
cools things down. He’s loved by all.
hills
with a love of adventure, Chon has dreams of traveling
the world so Chinese radish becomes known to the world.
Chon is temperamental and short-tempered and often creates
a scene. He’s really not quite with it and is frequently
out of step. He sees himself as a ‘cool dude’,
clever and courageous but when the going gets tough, Chon
is first to flee the scene. Jon vows to play tricks on
Nari but as he’s forever tripping over himself,
he has yet to succeed. 
battered
by the wind and rain, the scarecrow stands guard and
remains vigilant chasing away birds that threaten to
invade the rice-fields. Never short of entertaining
stories to share with his young friends, Ta Thung is
adored by the children. He’s also their best friend.
A wise and knowledgeable man, the young ones seek his
advice. He listens to them patiently and helps solve
their problems. Kan Yao, the young man from Chanthaburi,
frequently stops by to seek Ta Thung’s advice
on matters related to agriculture… as well as
affairs of the heart. Time after time, Kan Yao walks
away with sound advice and is never disappointed. 