VietNamNet Bridge - ‘So do cam’ as called by Vietnamese, Spathodea campanulata, sourced from Africa, considered a ‘malicious invader’, is still being grown in Vietnam, posing a threat to the ecological environment.

On Highways No 19 and No 14 in Gia Lai province, so do cam trees have blossomed. Most of the districts and cities in the province have also turned red with so do cam blossoms.

A local man said so do cam has been present in Gia Lai for the last 10 years. They have grown big with the height of 10 meters and trunk diameter of 30 cm. So do cam can be seen not only on streets, but also at offices. Near the Gia Lai provincial People’s Council, a big so do cam tree is blossoming. Another big tree can be seen at the entrance doors to the Gia Lai provincial Healthcare Department.

Nguyen Thi Hoai Thuong from Pleiku City said she once had an itch when she touched so do cam blossoms and she had to apply medicine for many days to escape from itch.

So do cam trees can also be seen the provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong, especially on the highways. In 2011, the Gia Nghia Town People’s Committee of Dak Nong province decided to grow 1,600 so do cam trees along the Ho Chi Minh Road. The trees have become big with, 4-5 meters tall.

Pham Quoc Tu, a local man from Gia Nghia Town said that adults will only suffer from itch when touching so do cam blossoms, but the blossoms are dangerous if they touch children’s eyes.

So do cam can grow very rapidly. It takes trees just 3-4 years to become big and have large canopies. In Dak Nong province, so do cam are seen standing at many office buildings and schools, even though scientists warned that the trees are easily broken in strong winds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2003 added so do cam to the list of 100 exotic species which may cause serious consequences and warned against the plantations after finding that the trees harmed abandoned agriculture land and forests. So do cam’s seeds can be dispersed in wind and can germinate very quickly.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2013 listed so do cam as an exotic species which tends to be invasive and cause harm to native species.

Vo Trung Nam from Pleiku City said he grew so do cam in his coffee garden because he did not know this was a dangerous exotic species. However, even the Gia Lai provincial healthcare department also grew so do cam within its precinct. 

NLD