Taipei, April 11 (CNA) A flowering plant that supposedly went extinct 122 years ago but reappeared in Keelung last year is gaining traction there after the plant was successfully bred in another location, a city councilor said Saturday.

The plant, part of the large loosestrife plant family that has more than 150 species of herbaceous and evergreen perennials, was spotted at Nuannuan Sports Park in March 2020 by plant scientist Su Hui-chao (蘇惠昭), according to Keelung City Councilor Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之).

After the discovery, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute took six plants of the species for breeding at an outside location and around 100 plants have grown since then, Wang said.

Following consultations with the institute and city government, Wang has arranged for about 30 of the plants to be transplanted in the Keelung sports park, in part to promote ecological education.

The city councilor said he was of two minds about whether to reveal the location of where the plants will be replanted because of concerns people might pick them clean.

But not disclosing the information would mean people would not know of the biodiversity of Nuannuan's ecosystem, Wang said, leading him to decide to make the location public.

According to Su, the species is a 1-2 year old herbaceous perennial plant with white bell-like flowers about 0.5-0.7 centimeters in diameter that can grow 30-60 cm tall.