藺草 Common Rush or Salt Grass

The waters flow from Leo Huang Valley to Beitou area containing the sulfur element which is not suitable for rice planting. However, people found it was good for growing common rush (salt grass).

Common rush could be harvested once or twice per year. Farmers sold it to Ta Gia’s

mat makers. Final products included woven mat, hat, basket, rope, etc. It was one of the important income sources for Beitou farmers.

After synthetic raw materials were available, the demand for common rush has shrunk gradually. As the common rush could not compete with modern synthetic products economically, it almost disappeared from the market.