(Baonghean.vn) - In Tam Son commune, Anh Son district (Nghe An), there is a strange species of bamboo, which people often call upside-down bamboo or yellow bamboo.
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| This bamboo species grows on the top of a high hill in hamlet 2, Tam Son commune (Anh Son). |
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| Mr. Le Dinh Ngoc said that people from the previous generation said that this area used to be a stronghold of the Lam Son insurgents. General Le Loi chose this location because from here he could observe the activities of the Ming army in Tra Lan citadel (about 5km away). One day, while observing the enemy's defenses, Le Loi forgot that he had rolled up his tobacco pipe. When he looked down, the pipe he had just set up had grown into a bamboo tree. Because the pipe was an upside-down piece of bamboo, the bamboo branch grew in a direction that bent down to the ground. Thinking that this was a good omen, the general ordered an attack and soon after, the citadel was taken down. Since then, the upside-down bamboo species has continued to exist in this area. |
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| In the book “Geography of Tuong Duong District” (Social Sciences Publishing House, 2003), author Ninh Viet Giao wrote: “In 1060 (?), the Ai Lao army rebelled and attacked the western part of Nghe An. Ly Nhat Quang led his troops to suppress them. After winning the battle, he led his troops back... to Khe Che, below Thanh Nam (old Tuong Duong, present-day Con Cuong), where the people gathered around him to congratulate him on his victory. Before the people’s respect and enthusiasm, he happily held the pipe, took a long drag, then put it down on the ground. Unexpectedly, the pipe was an upside-down piece of bamboo. So later, from the pipe grew a bamboo tree, also screwing its head to the ground before growing its top straight up to the sky. From a tree, it became a bush. Later, in Khe Che, there was a type of upside-down bamboo, for this reason” (pp. 89-90). |
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| Looking closely, we will discover the differences, compared to normal bamboo, upside down bamboo has a smaller height and trunk diameter, the largest tree is only a little bigger than the wrist. In particular, the bamboo's arms do not grow up into the air but bend down towards the ground. |
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| The shape of the bamboo arms looks like normal bamboo planted upside down. |
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| But if we observe the bamboo eyes carefully - the position where the bamboo arms grow out, we can easily see that the bamboo arms grow in a direction that curves down towards the base (ground). |
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| In terms of fertility, growth process and other characteristics, "inverted" bamboo is identical to normal bamboo. |
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| Due to the dense density of trees and bushes, the tops of the "upside down" bamboo species often hang down to the ground. Currently, the People's Committee of Tam Son commune has issued a document requesting families with "upside down" bamboo species in their hill gardens not to arbitrarily cut down or exploit them, to avoid the risk of extinction of this strange bamboo species. |
Cong Kien
