Those found removing Chinese spiranthes from Tainan’s Barclay Memorial Park would face heavy penalties, said the city’s Public Works Bureau.
Chinese Spiranthes, a species of orchid and the smallest orchid variety that grows in the wild in Taiwan, blooms annually around March or April.
Due to its rarity it is listed as an endangered plant species, and its appearance in the park always draws attention, the city said.
Photo courtesy of Chou Yin-wang
To prevent accidental trampling of or damage to the flowers, authorities have set up caution tape and warning signs urging visitors not to pick them.
In the past, incidents of theft involving orchids have occurred in Barkley Park, it said.
“We want to make sure that no thefts of the flower occur this year, so we have increased patrols in the park,” it said, adding that it would heavily penalize anyone caught trying to steal them.
Chinese spiranthes, also sometimes called Chinese ladies’ tresses, is native to Taiwan, and is the island’s smallest orchid species, it said.
The spiral-shaped pattern that the blossoms form along the flower’s stalk give it a unique appearance, and have earned it nicknames such as the “coiling dragon ginseng” and the “red dragon spiral,” it said.
“Due to habitat destruction and overharvesting for herbal medicine, wild populations of the flower have become extremely rare,” it said.
Tainan Astronomical Association honorary chairman Chou Yin-wang (周銀王) said he visited the park last week to photograph the orchids, but they were not in bloom at that time.
However, upon returning recently, he was delighted to see them flowering, with the number of blooms exceeding last year, he said.
“Since these orchids are so tiny and easily overlooked, local volunteers have taken the initiative to inform others about their presence,” he said.
While the orchids are the current focus of attention, destruction of any plant life in the park would result in penalties, the bureau said.
Under local ordinance related to the management of public facilities and greenery, damage to a tree’s trunk or bark, or removal of a tree, would result in a fine “six times the tree’s market value,” it said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
RSS