Unique “lonely tree” 250 years old, 5 people can’t hug in Ha Giang
This is one of the most beautiful lonely trees in Vietnam because it is about 250 years old, growing on the
In Phuoc Binh forest, there is a banana species called lonely because each tree lives alone from germination to death, does not grow seedlings like ordinary bananas.
Phuoc Binh, a highland commune of Bac Ai district, is the farthest from Ninh Thuan province, 70 km from Phan Rang. This place is surrounded by green mountains and forests. The Da May river upstream of Lam Dong flows down, winding, irrigating the valley. In the dry season, when they have free time to work in the fields, the Raglai people in Phuoc Binh commune often go upstream of the Da May river to the forest to find lonely bananas, also known as orphan bananas.
Mr. Binh To Ha Duyen, a local, said that the reason it was named lonely banana by the villagers because it only grows one tree, after coming out of the room and the fruit is ripe, the trunk will die, but the seedlings will not sprout. below the base like other banana species. “This banana only sprouts seedlings by seeds. Banana seeds when ripe, dry, fall to the ground, scatter everywhere, meet the wet soil will grow lonely seedlings,” Mr. Duyen said.
Standing by the Da May River, Mr. Duyen pointed to the cliff across the river. In an empty space not covered by large trees, a lonely banana tree about 1.2 m high was standing alone. If moisture is guaranteed, this banana tree matures 4-5 m tall. The larger, the more enlarged the root, 40-50 cm in diameter and smaller upwards.
According to Mr. Duyen, it took more than 18 months from the time the seeds sprouted to the time of flowering. Banana buds bloom about 8-10 bunches, round fruits lying close together. The bunches of bananas from the stem to the bottom are covered with green moth leaves, the shape looks like a lotus flower in bloom. When the bananas begin to age and ripen, the leaves and stem of the banana gradually dry up and die, all nutrients are concentrated in the ripe banana chamber.
Foresters search cut them into baskets and bring them home, peel them to dry or bring them to the stream using a sharp knife to separate the white rice layer and sieve the seeds. Each ripening chamber can separate 2-2.5 kg of seeds, the large chamber can sometimes get 3 kg of seeds. Lonely black banana seed, almost the size of an index finger. Inside the seed, there is a white powder, which the Raglai people consider to be a medicinal substance used to treat kidney stones and promote health.
Mr. Da Rui Ha Dung, a resident of Bo Lang village, said that the old grandparents in the village often used this banana seed to drink water to treat kidney disease, swelling, back pain, joint pain… “If not sharp… Drinking water can be soaked in wine to drink in every meal after a day of hard work,” said Mr. Dung.
Currently, many people in Phuoc Binh still circulate the method of using dried lonely banana seeds to roast in a golden frying pan and then lower the ground, then soak in rice wine for 3 months and 10 days to produce a yellow wine like Chivas. Therefore, the people of Ninh Thuan often call this banana wine with the luxurious name “Chivas Phuoc Binh” when entertaining guests.
On the market, currently, Phuoc Binh Lonely bananas without split rice are priced at 50,000-60,000 VND per kilogram; and dry seeds cost 80,000-120,000 VND per kg, depending on the quality. In addition to seeds, the highlanders of Phuoc Binh also use banana buds and banana stems to cook soup, hot pot or prepare rustic dishes, combining wild vegetables and stream fish available in nature.
Mr. Huynh Quang Vinh, Head of Gia E ranger station (Phuoc Binh National Park), said that lonely bananas are abundant in the forests along the Da May River as well as in the mountain ranges in the forest area of the national park. Bananas grow individually, singly, not in groups, in bushes like other bananas.
To avoid exhausting harvesting, recently, Phuoc Binh National Park has taken lonely banana seeds from the forest and brought them back to research and propagate at the nursery for conservation.
“Some farmers in Phuoc Binh commune have been transferred to breeding techniques to grow bananas on upland land,” said Vinh, adding that many households have successfully planted them so far , bringing in a stable source of income.
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