Exploring Tha Sala: Our Latest Southern Thai Landrace Accession

After our work in Khiriwong and Lan Saka, it was only natural that we would find ourselves heading north-east, toward the coastal plains and foothills of Tha Sala district.

Tha Sala has long been one of those quiet places where tradition lingers. Tucked between the sea and the Khao Luang Massif, it's an area known more today for shrimp farms and rubber than for ganja fields. But if you know where to look and if you have the patience to look carefully - traces of the old Meun Sri landrace still survive.

We spent several days walking the valleys, visiting isolated homesteads, and following up on leads that, more often than not, ended in empty fields or abandoned clearings. Most farmers we spoke to had long since moved on to newer hybrid strains, or stopped planting altogether once the market shifted after legalization. Some remembered the old Meun Sri fondly, though, describing its tall, gangly frame and powerful effects in ways that matched perfectly with what we had already seen in Khiriwong and Lan Saka.

Like its cousins from the massif, Tha Sala Meun Sri shows that same narrow-leaf, open-flower architecture and a terpene profile that leans into spicy woods, bright citrus, and the kind of incense-like richness that once made Thai ganja famous around the world. The high is electric, euphoric, and seemingly endless — a true testament to the old equatorial sativas.

Sadly, after multiple visits and over the years - months of fieldwork, it is clear that active cultivation of traditional Meun Sri in Tha Sala has all but disappeared. Where once small plots dotted the lowlands, today only memories and occasional plants maintained by Mor Samut healers survive.

Without the efforts of farmers who still value the old ways, and without preservation projects like ours, this unique population would likely vanish completely.

We’re incredibly proud to have been able to accession Tha Sala Meun Sri and make it available as part of our ongoing conservation work. As always, only a very limited number of seeds will be released to high-level patrons and researchers, with the bulk being preserved through open pollination projects at our research station.

For more information about the Tha Sala landrace, click here.

Thank you for following along with our journey and for helping us keep these living traditions alive.

Éloïse and Isabella

Zomia Collective