Every year in February and March, thistles bloom white on the hillsides in mountainous Quang Nam. People cross the forest to pick “heavenly fortune” to earn extra income.
Forest firewood belongs to the rice family, often grows on dry land in mountainous areas. Solid spongy trunk, straight or slightly spread, up to 3.5 m tall. The plant has scientific name lThysanolaenana latifolia, in many areas in our country also known as chit tree, is a species of flowering plant. The plant is native to India, Myanmar, Thailand, China, and Vietnam.Along with reeds, sedges, and dat trees that grow naturally, the four seasons cover the wild mountainsides of Quang Nam province. In the months after Tet, dot flowers begin to bloom white on the hillsides.In the white-blossom season, people invite each other to the forest to “pick up fortune”. The plant grows wild but brings a good source of income for ethnic minorities in mountainous districts.Freshly harvested pods are dried and then sold to purchasing agents. Every day, Mr. Hung collects 30-40 kg of fresh fruit. “The work is hard but it gives a good income, so our relatives are very excited,” said Mr. Hung.People take advantage of sunny days to bring out the leaves to dry. The drying work is not too hard, the elderly and children can do it. For every 3kg of fresh fruit, after drying, 1kg of dried fruit is obtained.Fresh pods are dried and bundled into bundles in the house. Traders from the mountainous areas come to people’s houses to buy.Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu (village 4, Tra Mai commune, Nam Tra My district) said that each time she buys a few tons of dry dot, stores it and sells it to craft villages and households producing brooms in the delta. “The harvest season lasts about 2 months. Buy it for a few months, sell it for a whole year,” Ms. Thu said.Each pound of dry fruit costs from 20,000 VND, the more beautiful the fruit, the better the price. This is a significant source of income for mountainous people.
