Magic tree stumps the bookies

A tree stump in Chonburi in eastern Thailand is upsetting bookies by giving away the numbers that will win the state lottery.

Visitors to the tree in the Chaophor Khao Chang shrine in Chonburi’s Sattahip district have been winning so often that bookies are refusing their bets, according to The Nation.

A local called Euy told the newspaper that the tree was brought to the shrine after its spirit had appeared in a dream to a worshipper at the shrine, telling of its journey from the Prachin Buri River to the Bang Pakong River and into the sea before coming ashore in Laem Kham.

The stump’s consistency in forecasting winning numbers is now drawing crowds of gamblers. A Royal Thai Navy officer, Captain Preedasak Boonsriwong, won 10 times in a row after visiting the shrine, said Euy.

Thais traditionally revere the pipal tree – called ton pho in Thai – because Buddha achieved enlightenment while seated under one, while they believe that female spirits inhabit takian trees.

The remarkable Gor Daoruang – precocious teenage journalist, monk and ex-convict – gives a fuller account of Thailand’s plant lore at his site Thailand Life.