March madness for golden trumpet trees! 12 golden tunnels bloom magnificently, expert: not an aggressive invasive species, recommend planting in moderation

March is the flowering season for trumpet trees, and this year golden trumpet trees are blooming across Taiwan, with 12 golden tunnels spanning from north to south and across the east and west becoming popular spots for holiday outings. In fact, trumpet trees are not only yellow; there are six or seven species of trumpet trees across Taiwan, ranging in color from yellow to pink, and the flowering period lasts only until late March and April, so those who want to see the flowers must seize the moment.

Although the trumpet tree floral display is eye-catching, the Forestry Bureau and the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute remind local governments and landscaping operators that the golden trumpet tree is an exotic species. Although it is not an aggressive propagating species, planting it is not particularly encouraged. If it is to be included among street tree options, be sure to plant it in a diverse and multi-layered manner; in the long run, maintaining tree species diversity gives higher tolerance to environmental impacts.

Trumpet trees are native to Central and South America and were introduced to Taiwan half a century ago

"Trumpet trees are very common trees in the tropical countries of the Americas." Dong Jingsheng, head of the botanical garden division at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, explained that there are as many as 99 species of plants in the genus Tabebuia, found from Mexico and Brazil to Argentina in Central and South America, as well as in island countries such as Cuba, and that Taiwan originally introduced them through private horticultural operators. Of the trumpet trees that have been introduced into the country, there are about six or seven species in the two major categories of yellow-flowered and pink-flowered.

Dong Jingsheng said that private operators may not necessarily have introduced them from their places of origin; it is also possible that after seeing the landscape value of trumpet trees in other transshipment cities, they decided to introduce them to Taiwan, and horticultural operators subsequently promoted landscaping with them across Taiwan, gradually making trumpet trees appear all over the island.

12 golden tunnels across Taiwan, with at least two kinds of yellow flowers

There are 12 golden tunnels across Taiwan suitable for viewing golden trumpet trees, namely: New Taipei Bali Aiwei Care Center, Taipei Botanical Garden, Taichung Buzi Park, Taichung Fengfu Park, Chiayi Puzi Riverbank, Tainan Yizai Jincheng, Tainan Linsen Road Triangle Park, Kaohsiung Riverbank Park, Kaohsiung Chengcing Lake Scenic Area, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Nantou Maoluo River Embankment, and Hualien Xingquan Canal.

These golden tunnels are named because entire rows of golden trumpet trees are planted in the area. "Taiwan has four or five species of trumpet trees that bloom yellow flowers, and even if a given area is all yellow-flowered, there will be at least two or more species." This was explained by Wang Ruimin, who has studied tropical rainforest plants for many years and is the author of the book "Formosa Rainforest Plant Flora."