Deep in a maze of narrow alleys in a nondescript, tile-and-concrete neighborhood near downtown Tainan, we arrive at what looks like a sprawling jungle almost ready to burst out of its enclosing plank fence and brick foundation.
The first thing we see as we enter through the wooden gate are people examining a noble bottle tree (Sterculia nobilis) with stethoscopes. Owner Liang Kun-chiang (梁崑將) says you can hear the sound of water being transported through the tree’s vascular bundles.
“It sounds like your intestines moving,” he says, although some people tell him they cannot hear anything.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
He then has us handle some bright red seeds, which he tells us are lethally poisonous jequirity beans.
“Do not worry, it is impossible for you to break the seeds with just your hands,” he says.
A small courtyard and a few structures patched together with recycled antique material make up the Thousand Fields Seed Museum (千畦種子博物館), which feels like a fantastical garden growing in the countryside of some ancient Japanese folktale.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
There are seeds everywhere — in cabinets, in glass jars, in drawers, on shelves and even hanging in sacks from the ceiling. Liang says the museum has a collection of about 500 species, mostly endemic to southern Taiwan, which he estimates is about one-fourth of the total species in the region. About 100 have been planted and thrive in the garden, which looks a bit chaotic — but that is the point, as the owners operate under the concept of coexisting with nature instead of dominating and modifying it.
Liang and his wife, Chao Ying-ling (趙英伶), were originally green landscapers. They started collecting seeds out of personal interest, and the museum grounds was their horticulture studio. Their son, Liang Chao-hsun (梁朝勛), says only in recent years did this space garner interest because of the public’s increasing ecological awareness.
“In the early days, it was a lonely endeavor,” the younger Liang says. “It would be hard to carry on unless you had a very strong interest.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
He adds that they never thought about turning it into a museum, but people began to visit out of curiosity, and word spread quickly through the Internet. Eventually, the amount of visitors led to inadvertent damage to the garden’s plants and trees, and the family started to host reservation-only tours about five years ago.
Liang says many first-time visitors are astounded by the beauty of the seeds that grow where they live.
“But we hope each person has their own take on what they can get out of this place. Each guide has a different attitude toward the environment, and the seeds they like are different, too.”
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
We learn about the various mechanisms seeds employ to spread and take root, such as a pod that projects its seeds, seeds that attract animals by their pungent smell and gem-like seeds that attract different birds according to color.
“The individual characteristics of a seed lead to one goal: reproduction,” Liang Kun-chiang says.
We move on as Liang Kun-chiang comments on the botanical diversity of Taiwan because of its wide-ranging climate and geography.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
“Taiwan’s soil is like a seed bank,” he says. “Just take a clump of dirt home, put water on it and different sprouts will come out.”
After marveling at the striking metallic blue seeds of the travelers palm (Ravenala madagascariensis), we sample various flavors of homemade hydrosol — including rose and osmanthus — a refreshing closer to the tour. We then spend some time lounging around the place, asking the Liangs questions and soaking in the greenery.
Liang Chao-hsun says the museum takes up all the family’s time now, and when there are no tours they are busy planting and maintaining the environment. They also make and sell mosquito repellent incense, hydrosols, soaps and other items made purely from their plants.
“There is always something growing in a corner that you have to take care of,” he says.
And the number of seeds or plants continue to increase even without them collecting.
“Taiwanese are very sweet people,” Liang says. “A lot of people will take note of what we are missing and bring it to us. We are happy enough to just be able to maintain everything.”
As the tour continues, we taste the tangy pulp from the pods of a golden shower tree, which is used for its saponin (a natural detergent) in India but mostly as an ornamental tree in Taiwan.
“Eat too much and you will get diarrhea,” Liang Kun-chiang warns.
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