The first scholar who collected Suzukia shikikunensis Kudo in Taiwan was Sasaki Syuniti (1888-1961). In July 1922, Sasaki heard that the hydrology survey team of the Mountain Forest Section, Government-General of Taiwan, was going to the Nanhu Mountain, and immediately requested to join them for plant collection. Suzuki Sigeyosi (1894-1937) also wanted to tag along. After the team reached the top of Nanhu Mountain on the 22nd, the two separated from the survey team on the 25th and went down the mountain via Musha, collecting plants along the way. On the 27th, Mr. Sasaki collected this plant in Mareppa, Nantou, but did not give it a scientific name at that time. Eight years later (1930), Kudo Yushun (1887-1932), a botanist studying the Lamiaceae family, appointed the specimen Suzuki Sigeyosi collected on October 23, 1928, from Shikikun, Yilan (present-day Siji Village), as the type specimen. It was then announced as a plant of a new genus and species. The genus name and species nickname derive from the family anme “Susuki” and the variation (Latinization) of the suffix of the place of collection, “Shikikun.”

Although the author on record for the “Overview of the Botany Classroom in the College of Science, National Taiwan University” is Hibino Shinichi of Second Lecture on Botany at the Faculty of Science of Taihoku Imperial University, the vocabulary in the text does not seem like what Hibino Shinichi would have used. Second of all, even though the title of the book reads “Overview of the Botany Classroom” with the word “overview” in kanji, the title of the page uses the same word in Mandarin. It is inferred that some of the content was written by Taiwanese people who were proficient in Japanese, highly possibly by Kao Muh-Tsuen or other Taiwanese assistants. The classroom overview is a comprehensive compilation of the research in the field of botany of the Facultyof Science of Taihoku Imperial University during the Japanese colonialperiod. (Author: Dr. Li Kai-yang)

The specimen was collected by Suzuki Tokio on December 7, 1935, from A’yu River in Taipei (near present-day Wulai), and was later published as Limlia uraiana by Masamune Genkei and listed as a type specimen. The species was originally named by Hayata Bunzo as Quercus uaiana (Fagacea), which named after the place name. It is found in the middle and low altitude forests of Taiwan as one of the most important tree species in the forest. The sap often spews out after the tree trunk is cut down, so it is also nicknamed as “dripping.” Masamune created the genus Limlia in 1948 for this plant with the Japanese pronunciation of “dripping” due to its unique morphology. The plant was later transferred to genus Castanopsis, with the scientific name changed to Castanopsis uraiana (Hayata) Kanehira & Matusima.

This specimen was collected by Hosokawa Takahide on August 19, 1932, from an area between Zhiben and Zhuifen in Taitung. Kudoacanthus albo-nervosa Hosok. is an endemic species of Taiwan. To commemorate Kudo Yushun who worked for the First Lecture on Botany and the curator of the Herbarium, his family name Kudo was placed in front of the Latin name of Acanthus to create the genus Kudoacanthus.

Polypodium transpianense Yamamoto was a plant discovered by Yamamoto Yoshimatsu, an Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Science, Taihoku Imperial University. It was collected on September 4, 1925, from Panana, Yilan (near present-day Datong, Nangshan Village). The scientific name has been transferred to a different genus, Goniophlebium transpianense (Yamam). L.Y.Kuo.

This is the type specimen of Apios taiwaniana Hosok. collected by Hosokawa Takahide on July 17, 1931, from Inter Yusyo et Sirasetu, Taityu Perf., while he was studying at Taihoku Imperial University. Apios taiwaniana Hosok. is a plant endemic to Taiwan published by Hosokawa, and it is a rare legume at mid-altitude.

This Pandanaceae fruit may have been collected by Hosokawa Takahide during his surveys from Micronesia to the South Seas Mandate from 1933 to 1941. With the label fallen off, the location and date of collection has been lost. This reminds us to carefully preserve specimens and cultural relics.

The two specimens of Astronia formosana Kanehira were collected by Hosokawa Takahide and Tadao Kano on July 10, 1935, from Mount Dasen on Orchid Island. Hosokawa and Tadao stayed for over a month on Orchid Island together with Tetsuzan Akashi, the assistant and painter of Tadao.

The two blueprint maps in the collection of the TAI include the map of aboriginal tribes in the Shinchiku Prefecture, which was published in Showa 10 (1935) by the aboriginal administration of the Police Commission. The Ministry of Police of the Governor-General of Taiwan is in charge of the Police Department, and each prefecture has its own Police Commission. It is inferred that the two maps were drawn by the Taipei Commissions of Taihoku and Shinchiku Prefectures respectively. As the mountainous area was the territory of aboriginal tribes during Japanese occupation, it was necessary to have a detailed map for reference in order to venture into the forest for plant collection.