Environmental & Ecological Area-Botanical Plants on Campus

 

｜Botanical Plants on Campus-Manila Tamarind｜ 

   Manila Tamarind is a Fabaceae Mimosoideae Pithecellobium, it is an evergreen tree native to Mexico, the trunk surface comes with a knob-like protrusion, the shape of the leave is twice-pinnate-compound leaves, and the flower is capitulum with a light green corolla. The fruit is a donut-shaped pod. When ripe, the pod turns red and cracked. It contains several black seeds attached to pink aril. Regarding the history of Manila Tamarind is coming to Taiwan, in the Taiwan General History Volume 28 Yu Heng-Zhi under the genus of wood," it recorded "Manila Tamarind: named after the fact that scarabs (Gin Gui) love to dwell in it.", which indicates it has been here for a hundred years. The old Manila Tamarind on the campus, with its lush foliage and vigorous branches, silently guarding the campus and the students studying here; the Cheng Kung campus was planted with many Manila Tamarind (on both sides of the road between the Department of Material Science and the Department of Civil Engineering) in the early days of the Japanese rule. Looking back over the past 100 years, the Manila Tamarind Trail has become one of the trails with old trees; people can come to enjoy the sight and relax.

 

｜Botanical Plants on Campus-The Banyan Tree ｜ 

   Banyan is a large evergreen tree species with a broad crown, thick trunk, bark from light gray to brown, and white glutinous sap. A lot of aerial roots grow from the stems and form prop roots once they reach the ground to help support the huge tree body; Obovate leaves with stipules of linear-lanceolate; syconus fruits that are loved by birds. The big banyan tree in Banyan Garden of NCKU was planted by Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito (succeed to the throne as Emperor Showa in 1926) on April 21, 1923 (12th Year of Taisho) when he was here to review the military parade of the 2nd Wing of Taiwan Infantry. Over nearly a century, the tree has absorbed the essence of sun and moon and has become gigantic. Its tall and beautiful figure has been adopted by Cathay Life Insurance as its corporate trademark and has become well-known in Taiwan.

 

｜Botanical Plants on Campus-Royal Poinciana｜ 

   The Poinciana (phoenix wood) is a legume phoenix genus plant, native to Madagascar, a deciduous tree, with straight, light gray bark and two-pinnate compound leaves. When blooming
in summer, the whole tree appears bright orange-red, which is imposingly beautiful. The pods of Poinciana phoenix wood are more than 40 cm long, sheath-shaped, and contain dozens of seeds.

   Poinciana is the city tree of Tainan City, and National Cheng Kung University in Tainan adopted Poinciana as the school crest August 1956. The design has been used until today - a symbol all NCKU students/alumni are proud-of.