Bulletin - Fall 1979 - North American Rock Garden Society

Rhododendron oldhamii seemed afavorite, and here at lower elevationsit has a non-stop flower record. Suchmundane things as cannas and pelargoniumsblazed forth from the jungle'sgreenness.After a couple of hours of maneuveringthe terrain of plunging ravines andknife-ridges we came to the seemingimpasse of sheer cliff just beneath thesummit. The procedure halted for thosewho wished to debark and pay homageto a venerable old chamaecyparis. Fromthis point the track was engineered backand forth in a series of reverses, andwith each change of direction we gaineda bit of elevation until to everyone'sexpressed relief we emerged at apoint just beneath the rounded summitof Mt. Ali, and thus arrived at Alishan.Alishan must be one of the mostbeautiful places in the world. In thefifty years of their occupation (1895-1945) the Japanese commenced theharvest of the huge spruce andchamaecyparis trees and built the railwayto convey the logs down the scarp.In the days of earliest botanical exploration,these high mountains weresaid to have been inhabited by warringtribes of savages. As the immediatearea had been cleared, a comparativelygentle little vale became a village setabout the perimeter of a most lovelypark, retaining the natural terrain andindigenous plants. Miles of beautifullylaid, broad stone walks and stairwaysled throughout. As there are noautomobiles there are no streets. Inone secluded area we came upon amagnificent stone and bronze shaft, amemorial to the forest that had beensacrificed. Further along a botanicalgarden identified the native plants forus, and nearby a most terrible "mickeymouse"of a temple had broken mirrorand pretty-rock roof ornamentation thatwould frighten the most evil of devils.As the pavement looped back to climbtoward the station again, we crosseda broad lagoon with a pagoda-bridgefor lovers. There are several large resorthotels and the residences of the forestryand railway people, a few curio shopsbut those near the station. We at lastclimbed back and paid our call onthe forestry officials, and there we meta visiting plantsman who knew the shortiawell. We should go, he told us,by the early morning work train furtherbeyond, to open ridges higher andcloser to Yushan, and there it wouldbe plentiful, and we should easily returnby evening.As we left that encounter, we couldscarcely believe our good fortune andthe sequence that had led to it. Butwe contained ourselves sufficiently toadmire a flourishing bank planting ofpleione on the railside. The summitsroundabout had been commercial collectingstations for P. formosana atan earlier time. Now they are scarce,and these were safe only behind a protectingenclosure. We lazed away theremainder of the afternoon examiningeven more ferns (the island has wellover six hundred species) and hikingalong the railway toward our new goal.The hollow of an immense decayingstump was festooned with perhaps adozen sorts of fern, from leatherythongs to the laciest frailty. There wereground orchids of some variety anda neat ground-covering of Gaultheriaitoana. Although snow may fall at Alishan,the situation above tropical junglecauses it to melt without freezing actionand the area is sheltered from prevailingwinds.Sunset was an unbelievable spectacleat this elevation on the verge ofthe tropics, but its promise of tomorrowwas not to be ours. A deluge in thenight destroyed a section of the railwayand we were obliged to be evacuated,190