Ancient Sacred Fig Tree Discovery Stuns Chumphon Conservancy

A survey team led by Athorn Kamlangbai, head of wildlife preservation at Krom Luang Chumphon Northern Wildlife Sanctuary, dispatched officials including Suwitr Chanthana, head of the mobile forest fire unit in Tha Sae district, along with military personnel and provincial agricultural council members to inspect pristine forest in Song Phi Nong subdistrict after reports of an unusually large sacred tree. Upon arrival, the team was astounded to encounter the massive Chumphon fig—measuring 235 centimeters around the trunk and rising over 30 meters high, with branches spreading widely and laden with figs. The tree sits at a forest fire monitoring point approximately 190 meters above sea level, which officials have observed since 1997. Suwitr noted that the figs serve as vital sustenance during long patrol treks, and based on the trunk's remarkable growth, the tree is believed to be well over 100 years old.

Sane Sila, head of Noen Thong forest protection unit, remarked that while Chumphon figs typically grow near water, this specimen flourished exceptionally large in deep forest—something he has never encountered in decades of fieldwork. The discovery quickly spread, prompting Luang Pho Amnuay Attitavanno, a venerated monk from Khao Sam Liam monastery in Tha Sae, to comment that the discovery of such an ancient sacred tree in a conservation area represents an auspicious omen and underscores the need to protect it as a blessing for Chumphon Province.

Botanical records indicate the Chumphon fig (Ficus racemosa L.) was first surveyed in Thailand along the Tha San River in Tha Sae, Chumphon, by Phraya Winichvanandt in 1927, and was named in honor of the province. It was selected as the provincial tree and received royal endorsement from Queen Sirikit on May 9, 1994. Lottery enthusiasts have already begun associating numbers with the discovery—including the trunk circumference of 235 centimeters and height of 30 meters—seeking fortune.