Rare and Valuable Plants

On August 22, 1988, 11 plant species were announced in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act.
On September 27, 2001, Taiwan Quilwort (Isoetes taiwanensis), Taitung cycas (Cycas taitungensis), and Pazopo (Podocarpus costalis) were removed from the protected list.
On January 14, 2002, Red-Spotted Rhododendron(Rhododendron hyperythrum), Rhododendron kanehirai, and Bretschneidera sinensis were removed from the protected list.
On April 23, 2019, Taiwan cow-tail fir (Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana) was removed from the protected list.

Amentotaxus formosana

Photographer: Lu Sheng-Yu

Amentotaxus formosana is a kind of small evergreen tree of the Taxaceae family. It can grow up to 10 meters tall, with a diameter of 30 centimeters. The leaves, shaped like sickles, are 5 to 8.5 centimeters long. The leaves are dark green with luster. On the inside, there are two white blowholes. The leaf margins are curled up. The plant is dioecious. Male inflorescences are spike shaped. Three to five spikes grow on the top of the twigs. Female inflorescences grow from leaf axils. One bud creates four to six flowers. The seed is of drupe shape, axillary, skillet-like, oval-shaped, and dark purple.

Epilobium nankotaizanense

Epilobium nankotaizanense is a perennial herbal plant in the endemic Onagraceae family. Its leaves are either opposite or alternate. The plant grows densely and is oval or round shaped. The petioles are clear. It grows acrogens purple red flowers, and the calyx is deep and four-split. The pattern is also four-split. Each flower has four petals. The flowers are slim with an inferior ovary. On top of the seed there is pubescence.

Fagus hayatae

Photographer: Lu Sheng-Yu

Fagus hayatae is also known as beech. It is a deciduous tree in the Fagaceae family. The trunk is smooth with grayish white color. The back of the young leaves have golden fur, with oval to ovary shapes. The tips are sharp, the base is round or wedge shaped. Margin teeth are green. There are seven to ten pairs of lateral veins, parallel. The surface is hollow and the interior bulges. The flowers are unisexual with same strains. There are four to six petals for the male flowers. They are of umbel shape, with capitulum clustering up, auxiliary, drooped, bract linear shaped, with coat hair, shedding. Perianth is cyclindrical with golden coating and pubescence. There are five to twelve stamens. One to two petals of female flower grows on one peduncle, axillary, and perianth is cyclindrical. Fagaceae is ovary shaped. The surface contains soft spines. It is four-split when ripe. There are usually two nuts, with three wing-shaped carinas.

Juniperus chinensis var. taiwanensis

Photographer: Lu Sheng-Yu

Juniperus chinensis var. taiwanensis is an evergreen prostrate plant, in the form of an erect shrub or small arbor. It has two types of leaves. The young leaves are linear, of an opposite or ternate arrangement. The head is sharp, the surface is hollow and there is a ridge underneath. The grown leaves have a scale shape, of a cross opposite arrangement. The cones are ball-shaped, each with three seeds that are triangular oval shaped.