A small mountain village in Chiayi has become home to a rare species of climbing bamboo, which has established itself on a concrete utility pole and has produced a shoot 3m above ground, unlike most other bamboos, which produce sprouts underground.
Liu Chia-nan (劉嘉南), a former member of the Chuchi (竹崎) Village Council, said yesterday that he first spotted the plant during a mountain-climbing tour seven years ago.
"I found a charming bamboo seedling when I was hiking along the Nantzuhisen Creek (
Attracted by its beauty, Liu said he transplanted the seedling to his front yard in Chuchi Village, which is 1,000m above sea level.
At first, Liu said, the bamboo seedling grew slowly, rising less than a meter per year for the first three years.
"It began to grow at a faster pace from the fourth year. The strangest thing is that it grows like a vine and produces shoots in the open air, rather than underground," Liu said.
He said he does not know the plant's botanical name or even to which species it belongs.
Chuchi has a reputation as "a village of longevity," as many of its residents are in their 80s or 90s. Liu has asked many older residents about the plant, but none of them have been able to identify it.
The Chuichi township park contains more than 70 varieties of bamboo, none of which resemble Liu's plant.
Liu said he hopes to enlist the help of local botanists to help him solve the enigma.
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