Daan Water Sedge Ecological Education Park Introduction
Daan Water Shield is a national treasure and an endangered plant species. Its flowering season is from October to February. It is a plant endemic to Taiwan. In 2000, a coastal ecological education park was established locally, which not only cultivates Daan Water Shield but also features many coastal plants such as Bitter Hibiscus, Taiwan Sea Olive, Narrow-leaved Cinnabar, Water Yellow Skin, Yellow Leaf Banyan, Phyllanthus, Ficus microcarpa, Yellow Roselle, Canarium, Lin-tou, Taiwan Flowering Quince, Hedyotis, Three-leaved Ginger, Taiwan Pigeon Tree, among others. The Daan Water Shield Ecological Education Park is located in a pond on the southern bank of Wangliao Creek in Daan District, mainly aimed at the restoration of this endangered plant. Daan Water Shield is a perennial aquatic herb with an upright stem that is quadrangular in shape, covered with dense hairs at the nodes, with alternate, papery, linear-lanceolate leaves. It produces purple flowers that are tubular in shape, and its fruit is oval-cylindrical, making it a rare plant species endemic to Taiwan. The "Water Shield" is only distributed in Daan District, Taichung City, and the coastal wetlands of Qingshui and Longjing districts. Due to habitat destruction, the population is extremely scarce, making conservation and restoration efforts even more necessary.
