Preambule
The word Kesorkol is used in the law but for the last decades it has remained almost elusive. It was spoken with care and even sometimes with reverence by local orchid fans. To find out more about this term, there was one key person to ask: Cambodia’s Orchid Ambassador Dr. Hul Sovanmoly, esteemed Academic and Researcher (botanist / taxonomist) in Tropical Botany, specialised in the Asian Flora of the Indochinese Peninsula, particularly of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – and long time expert of the French National Museum of Natural History, Paris.
We are very proud to release this exclusive interview with her insights on the importance of botanical taxonomy for Cambodians students, that carries so much in terms of understanding the current botanical state in the country and crucially, an explanation of the word កេសរកូល (Kesorkol).
Honorary Associate Professor (Attaché honoraire du MNHN) Muséum national d’histoire naturelle.
Origins and Evolution Department, ISYEB (Institute of Systematics, Evolution, Biodiversity)
The Paris Herbarium (P), Herbier national (P), Phanérogamie, CP 39
16 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
Foreword by Dr. Florian Jabbour, Associate Professor, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Curator, Paris Herbarium (P):
The Herbarium of the French National Museum of Natural History is the largest in the world in terms of number of specimens (including nomenclatural types), and the collections kept there illustrate well the evolution of plant biodiversity through time and space. Many brilliant botanists have worked at Paris Herbarium, and Dr. Sovanmoly Hul is one of them. She dedicated her career - and life - to the inventory and study of the Southeast Asian flora. Through her research, curation, teaching, and collecting activities, she has demonstrated her passion for botany and her involvement in Paris Herbarium management. She also seized every opportunity to act in favor of biodiversity conservation in Cambodia. Last but not least, Dr. Hul’s work has always been driven by the will of passing along her knowledge to the next generations (especially to the Cambodian students).
Introduction
OrchidCambodia (OC): “ What motivates your work on the Flora of Cambodia ? Who influenced you or guided you to do this work. Is it people like Dy Phon, Vidal … ? ”
Dr. Hul Sovanmoly (HS): « I have a passion for plants since childhood. For the story: I was 6 or 7 years old (1952-1953) and was often in the nursery of the Ta Keo Temple -build at teh start of the 11th century by the Khmer Kng Jayavarman V - in the Angkor temple complex in Siem Reap. The nursery was run and supervised by my father, appointed Head of the "Forestry and Fish Cantonment", for the Ministry of Agriculture in Phnom Penh. He taught me how to grow seeds of vulnerable species of the Dipterocarpaceae family. He taught me the name of species such as ដើមគគី Hopea odorata Roxb., ដើមត្រាច Dipterocarpus intricatus Dyer, ដើមពពេល Shorea roxburghii G. Don, ដើមត្បែង Dipterocarpus obtusifolia Teijsm,….
He explained how these species only grew in the Indochinese Peninsula (ie endemic) and how some of these trees grow to be giant, robust and produce resin but that they are also very vulnerable, often times they are burned and devastated by forest fires during dry season (Jan/Feb – May/June). My parents kept telling me that we really needed to protect these forests and in order to do so, we had to produce young plants from seeds (a difficult and rigorous process) then we would have to replant and reforest. I grew up with this is mind. That is why I wanted to study botany.
But after my Baccalauréat in 1966, my parents and grand-parents asked me to study Medicine. I had little choice and enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine. I was sad but I remained determined to satisfy my desire to study botany. After one week, I registered at the Faculty of Science SPCN (a preparatory course for students of Botany, Physics, Chemistry, Geology or Maths) and for the following month, the teachers at the Faculty of Medicine that checked for absentees called out my name « Ms IEM Sovanmoly », and the students would respond on my behalf : « Absent !! ».
That is how I ended up studying botany at the Faculty of Science at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). I never regretted this choice,
and take this opportunity to acknowledge my parents (M. IEM Rong et Mrs. ITH Yin Thos). I also thank my main professors inBotany: Mrs. Dr. Pauline Dy Phon, Dr. Ho Tong Lip, Dr. Pierre Tixier, Pr. Raymond Schnell and Pr. Jules E. Vidal; and I also cannot forget Pr. Var Sim Samreth, Rector of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Mrs. Pr. Marie-Thérèse Cerceau-Larrival and Dr. Michel Hideux who instructed me in Palynology.»
BACKGROUND
OC: “ How does your story demonstrate the importance of studying taxonomy? In that sense, what is your message to the young students and orchid fans in Cambodia? ”
HS: « In 1994, I started a series of research projects and academic missions in Cambodia, in the framework of the scientific cooperation between the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and the Department of Vegetal Biodiversity of the Faculty of Science (RUPP). I gave numerous lectures on systematic botany and on the taxonomy of tropical plants, making sure to provide examples of Cambodian species. We also conducted many field trips with my teaching colleagues at RUPP and Mrs. Séng Chandy, one of my family members that had survived the Khmer Rouge regime. Chandy was an excellent guide because she had a good knowledge of the Cambodian names of many species we found in remote villages or in deep forests.
At first some students and teachers from other disciplines made fun of us when they saw us collecting the grass students were treading on at the campus…they did not understand the importance of our work. But gradually, they started to value the work of collecting dry specimens, to certify the scientific value of their work done in the country; and to learn the Latin binomial names of species following international norms.
Thanks to our hands-on approach, from 1994 to 2000, I undertook to build a small Herbarium with approximately 2,500 specimens. This Herbarium was established, with the collaboration of my teaching colleagues namely Mrs. Yok Lin (Head of the Department of Biodiversity and teacher in Systématics) and Mrs. LIM Sidédine (in charge of the courses in floral anatomy), and with students of the faculty. »
SYSTEMATICS, TAXONOMY AND ORIGINS OF KESORKOL
OC: “ You were largely responsible for the use of the name Kesorkol over the last decades. The word is now inscribed in the last policy of the MoE. What is the story of that name? Can you explain how it is composed and why it fits so nicely with the orchids? ”
HS: « In classic botany, to learn about taxonomy, students first learn about the macromorphology of flowers : the study of the calix (sepals), the corolla (petals) and the male reproductive organ, the stamen: កេសរឈ្មោល (in phonetics: kesor chhmol), including pollen grains, pollinie (លំអងផ្កា lom âng pka) and the female reproductive organ, the pistil: កេសរញី (in phonetics: kesor nhi), contening ovules.
This is the first part of the name: it is the reproductive organs. And without a doubt, the orchid is one of the largest and most flourishing success story in recent evolution of plants. The Orchidaceae family is the sole family in the order Orchidales.
Orchids form a very large family – in fact the largest of all monocotyledonous angiosperms. It is a very varied family, with over 28,000 species, included in over 800 genera. These plants are herbaceous, autotrophic or mycotrophic (living in symbiosis with fongi) or also even but rarely saprophytes; some are lithophytes, terrestrial orchids are often found in cold or temperate climates ; the epiphytic orchids often live in tropical forests, crawling or climbing on tree trunks or suspended on branches, with their aerial roots.
In orchids, as opposed to other plant families, the structure of the reproductive organs is specific, hard to see and understand, complex to observe and study. The study of the reproductive organs is the main focus of our research, complemented by the study of the fruits, the growth characteristics (of sepals, petals, stems, leaves, pseudobulbs). Finally, a micromorphological observation is also often required to complete the study. To properly identify a genus or an orchid species the reproductive organs should often be observed.
Back then, when we were building up the collection of orchids in the Herbarium, one of these needs expressed by teachers and students was to find a name for orchids – a Cambodian name - that could best describe orchids, using our own taxonomy. After a long meditative period, in 1997, I proposed to designate the word កេសរកូល Kesorkol as the Cambodian name to describe orchids. The etymology of the word is as follows :
- កេសរ (kesor) is of Sanskrit and pālie origin = លំអងផ្កា pollen, pollinia
- កូល (kol) is derived from ត្រកូល (trâkol) meaning family or tribe (Chuon Nath et al., Institut bouddhique, 1968 ; Pou Saveros, 1992, 2013).
From the early stages, we started using this word and promoting it online for example on this site ‘https://www.orchidcambodia.com/’, but also in our discussions – It was the word we used for ourselves, and slowly everyone started using it too.
While preparing this interview (2020), I discovered that in most dictionaries (Khmer-French, Khmer-English), the name orchid / orchidée is translated as កេសរកូល (Kesorkol), but without any precise or correct explanation of the désinence កូល kol (Sam Thang, 1961, 1966; Tep Yok & Thao Kun, 1964, 1989; Ly Vouong, 1972; Robert K. Headley et al., 1977; Rondineau R., 2007; Michel Rethy Antelme & Hélène Suppya Bru-Nut, 2013). Similarly the « Guide franco-khmer, avec la transcription phonétique romanisée, des notions élémentaires de grammaire », published in 1963 and 1979 (by J. F. Sonolet & Pa Pheng), does not provide any plausible explanation for the use of កូល. Thankfully Pr. Michel Rethy Antelme, from the National Institute for Oriental Langages and Civilizations (INALCO, Paris), kindly provided his insights, suggesting that កូល is most certainly a deformation sanskrit and pāli, with an elongated vocalization of the word ត្រកូល (trâkol), meaning family. »
CONCLUSION
SH : « In conclusion, we can see that after decades of use by various types of people, the gap between linguistics and scientifical meaning is finally bridged. The successive uses of the word កេសរកូល now brings a definite choice for this term to be used to scientifically designate orchids in the Cambodian Language.
I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all my friends and colleagues in particular Mrs Yok Lin, and Mrs Lim Sidedine that have since 1994 helped with their scientific, cultural, linguistic and ethnobtanic contributions on the choice of the word កេសរកូល Kesorkol to designate orchids. My sincere thanks to Pr. Michel Rethy Antelme (INALCO), for sharing his expert knowledge in Khmerology and for his key literary and linguistic insights.
I particularly thank Mrs. Seng Chandy whose kindness, devotion and knowledge of Cambodian plants are dearly remembered. Many thanks also to Mr. Cedric Jancloes for this article, my colleague botanist and taxonomists at the Museum in Paris: Ms. Dr. Anne-Elizabeth Wolf, Dr. Florian Jabbour and Dr. Germinal Rouhan for their precious advise and support ; Dr. Marpha Telepova (Orchid specialist MNHN - Paris/ Russian Academy of Science of St Petersburg) for her support and insights on orchid morphology. »
OC: “So, what next now?”
HS: « A scientific collaboration concerning expert assessments on orchids of Cambodia, is in progress. A “Memorandum of Understanding between The Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France and The Ministry of Environment of the Royal Government of Cambodia on Collaboration for Establishment and Operation of Ex-situ Conservation in Cambodia” was signed on February 10, 2020, in Phnom Penh.
First of all, our collaboration consists in scientific expert assessments on Cambodian orchids at Sok An Phnom Kulen Centre for Orchid Research and Conservation. This programme consists of:
- Study and inventory of the botanical species of orchids collected and recorded from Cambodia, conserved in Sok An Phnom Kulen Centre.
- Check the identification with scientific names of orchids
- Participate in field collection of orchids
- Write a Field guide of Cambodian orchids
- Training sessions, courses and conferences
- Make the public aware of habitat threats and protection policies. »
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
- Antelme M. R. (2007). Inventaire provisoire des caractères et divers signes des écritures khmères prémodernes et modernes employés pour la notation du khmer, du siamois, des dialectes thaïs méridionaux, du sanscrit et du pâli. Projet "Corpus des inscriptions khmères" – CIK, Paris.
- Antelme M. R. et Bru-Nut H.S. (2013). Dictionnaire français-khmer. Nouvelle édition revue et augmentée. L’Asiathèque, Maison des langues du monde, INALCO, Paris.
- Chuon Nath et al. – Institut bouddhique. (1968). Dictionnaire cambodgien, 5e édition, Tomes I et II (1re édition en 1938). Édition de l’Institut Bouddhique, Phnom Penh.
- Cronquist A. (1968, 1988). The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants. New York Botanical Garden, New York.
- Cronquist A. & Takhtadzhi︠a︡n A. L. (1981). An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants. Columbia University Press, New York.
- Daniel A. (1985). Dictionnaire pratique cambodgien-français. Institut de l’Asie du Sud-Est, Paris.
- Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des Plantes utilisées au Cambodge. Imprimerie Olympic, Khan Chamcar Mon, Phnom Penh.
- Headley. R. K. et al. (1977). Cambodian-English Dictionary. The Catholic University of America Press, Washington D.C.
- Hul S. & Yok Lin (2000). Orchid Genera of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (by A. Schuiteman & E.F. de Vogel) Khmer translation, in Khmer-English edition. Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden.
- Hul S. (2010). A Glossary of French, Khmer and English Botanical Terms. Sun Heang Printing Shop, Phnom Penh.
- Jancloes C., Hul S., Telepova-Texier M., Yok Lin, Lim Sidedine, Ly Viboth & Peou Youleang (2010). Nouvelles récoltes au Cambodge, pour la famille des Orchidaceae (New collect for Orchidaceae family in Cambodia). Communication orale au 2ème symposium de la Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam. Hanoï, 6-8 déc. 2010.
- Léti M., Hul S., Fouché J.-G. Fouché, Chéng S.K. & David B. (2013). Flore photographique du Cambodge. Éditions Privat, Toulouse.
- Ly Vouong. (1972). Dictionnaire moderne français-khmer. Librairie khmère Niyum, Phnom Penh.
- Polin S. (1985). Petit Dictionnaire français-khmer. CAMAF, Centre intermissions, Clichy.
- Pou S. (1992). Dictionnaire vieux khmer-français-anglais. Cedorek, Paris.
- Pou S. (2013). Lexique Sanskrit-Khmer-Français (sanskrit utilisé au Cambodge). Translitération internationale. Éditions Angkor, Phnom Penh.
- Rondineau R. (2007). Dictionnaire cambodgien-français, tome 1. Études sur l’alphabet khmer et la grammaire. M. E. P., Phnom Penh.
- Sam Thang. (1961). Lexique franco-khmer. Imprimerie Kim Ky, Phnom Penh.
- Sonolet J. F. et Pa Pheng. (1963, 1979). Guide franco-khmer, avec transcription phonétique romanisée, des notions élémentaires de grammaire. Institut de l’Asie du Sud-est, Paris.
- Tep Yok & Thao Kun. (1964). Dictionnaire français-khmer, 1re édition. Librairie Bout-Neang, Phnom Penh.
- Tep Yok & Thao Kun. (1989). Petit Dictionnaire français-khmer, 2e édition. Imprimerie Trin Phu, Ho Chi Minh Ville.
- Telepova-Texier M. (2009). Acampe hulae Telepova (Orchidaceae), une nouvelle espèce du Cambodge et du Laos. ADANSONIA, sér. 3, 31 (2) : 267– 272. MNHN, Paris
- Telepova-Texier M., Larpin D. & Kharchenko V. (2018). Flower arrangement in Southeast Asian orchids. Evolution trends and influence of environmental factors. Proceedings of the 18th European Orchid Council Conference and Exhibition – Scientific conference: What future for orchids ? Cahier de la Société française d’Orchidophilie n° 8. SFO, Paris.
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Annex 1: KEYS NOTIONS OF SYSTEMATIC BOTANY
What is Systematic botany and Taxonomy?
Systematic botany is the science of classifying living things : the act of organising them by classes, by categories of things that share common criteria.
Taxonomy is the method used by scientists to classify living things in order to better understand their relationships and their evolution. This includes the description and identification of species.
What is micromorphology?
With some plants such as orchids, the macro-morphologic structure of the reproductive organs can be very specific, complex and hard to observe or study and it is necessary to study the micro-morphology of the structures for example using electronic microscopes to observe the pollinia or other parts such as the stomata, trichomes on the label or anther cap.
What is an Herbarium?
The study of systematic botany and taxonomy requires one key instrument – that is the herbarium a place where are kept the specimens collected. Each specimen of the herbarium consists in the plant collected (all the parts of the plan are included, from roots to flowers) that is dried and stuck unto paper, The specimen is tagged with a distinctive collection number and includes information such as the date of collection, the name of the collector and the scientific name of the species.
What are scientific names for animal or vegetal species?
The scientific name of species is a bi-nominal name, (usually) in Latin that is internationally recognised. During the 18th Century, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus [Carl von Linné] adopted a method to name animals and plants species that established the foundations for the modern binomial nomenclature system.
What are the Asparagales?
The Asparagales are an order of plants. The orchidaceae Juss. ("Orchideae", in Genera Plantarum, p. 64–65, in 1789) is one of the four families in the order of the Orchidales Raf. (A. Cronquist & A. L. Takhtadzhi︠a︡n, 1981). But since 1998, this family is included in the order of the Asparagales by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG), a group of botanists that works on the phylogenetics of flowering plants by using molecular and cladistic analysis. This group has published 4 botanical classifications : APG I in 1998, APG II in 2003, APG III in 2009 and APG IV in 2016.
What are families, sub-families, tribes and sub-tribes?
Thanks to macro and micro-morphology and recently with DNA studies, the large orchidaceae family is dividided in sub-families, then in tribes and sub-tribes by grouping genera and species.
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Annex 2: HISTORY OF HERBARIA IN CAMBODIA
HS: « The story of Herbaria in Cambodia started in 1932 when Cambodia was still under the French Protectorate. A small herbairum was launched in Kompong Cham Province by the French Forest Inspector, Marcel Bejaud, along with an arboretum, all around the Forestry Service. The arboretum gradually vanished due to various buildings and constructions. On the other hand, the duplicates of collections made by Bejaud still exist (in part) at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The specimens were determined by botanical experts of the Museum.
Later between 1950 and 1953, a small herbarium with approximately 1,500 species of flowering forest plants was established by Bernard Rollet, ‘Inspecteur des Forêts d’Outre-Mer’, with the collaboration of the Forestry Service of Cambodia. The Herbarium was moved then stocked and left without care in a warehouse, by those in charge of the Forest Inventory of Cambodia (USOM American Aid).
In 1955-1956, the Herbarium was placed under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture of Cambodia, therefore becoming the first Forest Herbarium of Phnom Penh. It was highly desirable to set in place a new Cambodian National Herbarium, indispensable tool for understanding and protecting the natural heritage of Cambodia.
For this purpose, in 1994, I undertook to consolidate the teaching of botany through its indispensable support, the Herbarium. So, from 1994 to 2000, I established, at the Faculty of Sciences in Phnom Penh, a small herbarium with approximately 2,500 specimens, with my teaching colleagues Mrs. Yok Lin (Head of the Department of Biodiversity and teacher in Systematics) and Mrs. LIM Sidédine (in charge of the courses in floral anatomy) and with students of the faculty. With the support of the Rector of the University, these samples were stored in the Department’s laboratory.
That made it possible for me to develop a large body of academic knowledge on Cambodian botany, working as a researcher and as the Editor in chief of the ‘Flore du Cambodge, Laos et Vietnam’ (published by the National Museum of Natural History in Paris).
The Herbarium grew and was soon upgraded to international standards. By 2008, the Herbarium was internationally recognised, with the RUPP acronym as an accepted listing in the ‘Index Herbariorum’ of the NYBG Steere Herbarium (NY Botanical Gardens) managed by Barbara Thiers, bthiers@nybg.org (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/herbarium-list/).
Today, Ms Peou Youleang is the conservator of RUPP's Herbarium. Since 2010, with the consent of the scientific head of the Paris Herbarium, to share and exchange specimens with Herbariums across the world, we have provided numerous and already backed-up specimens previously collected in Cambodia to the Herbarium.
Similarly, the Herbarium of the RUPP also started sharing its specimens in order to identify, study and enrich the various collections classified in Cambodia
It is hoped that the Herbarium currently located at the Faculty of Science in Phnom Penh can become the National Cambodian Herbarium. About 25,000 specimens, some dating to the Indochinese period, are now currently housed there.
For comparison, the French national Herbarium holds over 9 million specimens and also includes Cambodian specimens. For this it is important to thank people like Dr. Germinal Rouhan who have been taking care of specimens collected in Cambodia, in the process of tagging them in the national collection. As a Fern specialist, he has devoted his time to digitise their information and to make it available online – for researchers such as those in Cambodia. This public database is available here : (https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/p/item/search).