九芎 Subcostate Crape Myrtle (Jiuqiong)
The Subcostate Crape Myrtle (Jiuqiong) is seen everywhere in Taiwan, mainland China, and the Ryukyu Islands. The trees are red-brown outside and grey-white inside, with slippery and hard tree trunks. Since the bark is slippery and comes off in big flakes, it is said that even monkeys cannot successfully climb up the trees, and that's why they are also called "Monkeys Slip" (Houliu) or "Monkeys Don't Climb" (Houbupa). The Taiwanese knew in the early days that the tree's wood could be used to make pillars because of its strong quality and dense texture. They charcoaled the end of the wood extending into the ground with fire to make it termite- or borer-proof.