We would like to thank Teacher Wei-Ling Chen who accompanied us on the survey to Dengfong Channel and explained the animals and plants to us. Teacher Chen introduced us with detailed description along the way, helping us acquaint with the plants living in humid areas such as the elatostema which the bores like to eat, Giant Elephant's Ear relying on flies for pollination, white gourd with sweet and juicy fruit, Common Schefflera used as ingredients for making popsicles, Formosanum Elderberry for treating sore and ache, Taiwanense Cibotium used to stop bleeding, and the tender shoots of Margaret Rotang Palm used for making soup.

Teacher Wei-Ling Chan

Teacher Wei-Ling Chan was born in Chiayi and is a freelance illustrator with abundant experiences. He now lives away from the city and likes to tour by take. He has in-depth observation on the natural ecology and folk life. He has some tens of publications and received Golden Book Award from the Department of Education, Excellent Comics award from National Institute for Compilation and Translation – Taiwan, listed in for Golden Tripod Awards in category of Excellent Children’s Books, and the top ten books of the year in category of Science and Children’s Books, as well as candidates for Fukuoka Poster Design. (s)

Elatostema

Elatostema usually grown in shaded, cold and humid place and so if we see these plants, we can surely determine that this is a humid area. It is known as the humidity environmental indicator. It was no wonder that along the cold and wet mountain roads up the origin during our second survey on Dengfong Channel, we could see rows of short elatostema, distributing on the sides of stone stairs, which coincided with its meaning.

Teacher Chen also told us that elatostema is one of the favorite food for bores and that Taiwanese indigenous people would use the leave and prepare medicine for treating bites from venomous snakes.

White Gourd

We saw some plants with giant leaves on top of elatostema.　When Teacher Chen introduced us that this plant is known as white gourd and we all thought it was funny because we thought that it would grow some fruits in the shape of winter gourd.

Teacher Chen explained that the fruit of white gourd is white, juice and sweet. It is plant with sweetest fruit among wild edible plants and tastes like winter gourd sugar, so it is name was white gourd.

Teacher Chen also mentioned that white gourd commonly grow in environment with higher humidity such as near the ditch or humid forest. However white gourd fruit is harvested between July and August, now it’s past the fruit season so we did not see the lovely look of its fruits that day.

Common Schefflera

When Teacher Chen introduced us the name of this plant, we thought the name was weird and it sounded like the name of someone in Chinese. This plant can even be used as ingredient for making popsicles.

Teacher Chen mentioned that the name of Common Schefflera in Chinese came from Taiwanese, with similar pronunciation as the “Gong Mu,” a material used for making wooden clogs. The wooden clogs were popular in Japanese Ruling Period and could not be distinguished of left and right foot. So wooden clogs in Taiwanese language means “no distinction between left and right foot” while the material used for making wooden clogs were known as “Gong Mu” and translated into “Common Schefflera” in Chinese.

Japanese Maesa

The white little slower of Japanese Maesa are really beautiful. They look like some flower bells and also the wall lights on the ceiling at home.

Teacher Chen particularly mentioned that the Leaf-rolling weevils like to parasite on the leaves of Japanese Maesa because they could roll up the leaves, build nest and lay eggs, which they are hung on the trees like cradles. Japanese Maesa are literally the best ingredients for them to make cradles and lay eggs.

Formosanum Elderberry

Teacher Chen said that his grass is special because it tastes like chicken broth and the indigenous people would grind it and add charcoal that enhances adhesion, preparing it into medical patch for treating lower back pain.

The fruits of Formosanum Elderberry we saw that day were stringed and in lovely orange-red color. The small white blossoms were also very beautiful. Teacher Chen also told us that the orange-red fruits would taste really nice after marinated with sugar. We were all impelled pick them home.

Taiwan Aster

Teacher Chen told us that Taiwan Aster can be extracted of pigments and used for natural herbal dyes. In the early days, the main plants grown for Taiwan blue dye were indigofera and Taiwan aster. So we were curious and picked a leave of Taiwan aster to rub in our hands for a long time. We waited for a long time but it never turned blue and purple color. Then when we returned to school, we browsed online and discovered you need to soak the Taiwan aster leaves in the water in order to release the blue pigment from the leaves into blue liquid, and then stir the blue liquid in the pool back and forth with a tool. When the foam becomes small, allow the blue liquid to precipitate before truly using it on clothing dyeing after multiple procedures.

Taiwanese Cibotium

Teacher Chen told us that Taiwanese Cibotium can be used for emergency stop of bleeding. Just pull down some gold fur from Taiwanese Cibotium and place on the wound, then the blooding will stop. Teacher Chen also said Taiwanese Cibotium is become rarer to see so maybe on stem can be sold for NT500. We did not know this plant was worth this much money so we all joked about picking up some to sell for money.

I think the Taiwanese Cibotium looks like the fern plants in school and without the explanation by Teacher Chen it would have been really hard to identify this valuable plant.

Green Ramie

We used the net to clean falling leaves in the Channel and listened to Teacher Chen introducing the Green Ramie growing next to the Channel.

Teacher Chen told us that the indigenous people would plant green ramie near their house and then weave it into some fabric used for rituals. Green ramie not only can be weaved into fabric but the flesh of the stem can also be beat by rocks before kneading into rope and sewing thread.

I think the leaves of green ramie look like peppermint leaves in bigger size, with long beads of small white flowers distributed on the stem, making it very special plant.

Margaret Rotang Palm    

If Teacher Chen has not explained, it is really difficult to image this plant with thin and sharp leaves like bamboo leaves, which tender shoot can be prepared into soup with quite delicious taste. It is also the gourmet of Amis traditional ritual and famous dish for wedding and parties.

Additionally, the tender shoot of Margaret Rotang Palm can be woven into many handmade crafts such as bed and chair. However what frightened me was that Teacher Chen said that teachers from early days used the thick stem of Margaret Rotang Palm   to hit students. Even Teacher Xiao and Miao mentioned that they were punished by Margaret Rotang Palm stem. We are fortunate that teachers today do not hit us.

Giant Elephant's Ear

We finally saw the common giant elephant’s ear next to the elatostema and white gourd. People from the early days picked the leaves of giant elephant’s ear and sold them to the fish booth or meat booth in the traditional market to package the fish and meat sold. Teacher Chen said that the bores like to eat the flower buds and new shoots from the root of giant elephant’s ear. I recall once that when we first walked on the Pingding Ancient Channel, we saw a big hole next to the giant elephant’s ear on mountain road, where water patrol Grandpa Ajiang told us that it was the trace left by bores digging for root and earthworm.

Teacher Chen also told us that giant elephant’s ears also rely on flies for pollination because it emits rotten odor to attract flies for food, which coincidentally becomes the best disseminator.

Reference material：
(b)Ancient Channel, June 2002
(d)Centennial Irrigation Field – Ecological Journey, June 1997
(e)Praise Channel
(f)About Chi-Sing Irritation Association – Land, Water and Life, October 2013

(s)Department of Cultural Affairs, Taoyuan City Government (http://www.tyccc.gov.tw/art/news20111012.html)