By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin
As spring returns and flowers bloom across the land, various plants are bursting into color. At this time, the “Spiranthes sinensis” in Guandu Nature Park is also in full bloom. Named for its flower spike that resembles a ribbon, it is also called “Qingming Grass” because it blooms around the Qingming Festival. A member of the orchid family, its flower spike coils around the stem like a red or blue dragon, and its fleshy roots resemble ginseng, which is why it is often also called “Pánlóng Shēn” (Coiling Dragon Ginseng).
The flower of Spiranthes sinensis features the large lip characteristic of orchids. (Image provided by Taipei City Animal Protection Office, photo by Lai Jizhi)
The main facility area of Guandu Nature Park is designed with a coastal forest zone, a stream, sparse woods, grassland, and northern low-altitude broadleaf forest zones along the path from the entrance — resembling the plant ecological environments one would encounter when landing on the northern coast of Taiwan by boat. The Spiranthes sinensis mainly appears in the “grassland environment.”
The flower of Spiranthes sinensis blooms from bottom to top, resembling a dragon coiled around the flower stem. (Image provided by Taipei City Animal Protection Office, photo by Weng Yiling)
When not in bloom, Spiranthes sinensis lives among other grasses on the meadow and is not easily noticed. From April to early May each year, many tiny coiling “dragon pillars” sprout on the grasslands of Guandu Nature Park, gradually blooming into small purple-red or white flowers with relatively large lips. The uniquely shaped, delicate, and elegant blossoms emit a subtle fragrance.
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