White Mist Rising From Plant Baffles Visitors on Phayao Mountain
Hikers on Phayao's Doi Pa Chom Piang mountain spotted white mist mysteriously drifting from an unidentified plant's flowers, prompting botanists to investigate whether the substance is naturally produced or a rare natural phenomenon.
Phayao residents have spotted a curious phenomenon on Doi Pa Chom Piang: white powder or mist drifting from a plant's flower clusters, resembling smoke rising from the tree. Botanists are being asked to investigate further to identify the plant species and determine whether the white substance is produced naturally or represents a natural phenomenon.
On July 3, a Facebook user known as "Khao Mun Gai Lung Dam - Paa Chao" posted videos and photos from a nature walk on Doi Pa Chom Piang, showing a plant with white particles dispersing from its flower clusters that resembles smoke billowing from a tree. The footage has generated considerable interest among viewers.
Based on initial observations, the plant appears similar to species in the ginger family and thrives in humid mountain forests. It has an upright stem, long narrow alternating leaves, and small white branching flowers at the branch tips. However, the exact species cannot yet be determined and requires further examination by a botanist.
"Paa Chao," who discovered the phenomenon, explained that while surveying a nature trail, she observed the white mist dispersing from the plant in intervals. The hikers ahead of her group noted a substantial amount, while her group trailing behind also observed it but in smaller quantities. Initially thinking it was smoke from a fire, upon closer inspection she found no burning smell, no burn marks, and no recent rainfall in the area, leading to speculation that the white substance is either naturally produced by the plant itself or a natural phenomenon.
