In July 1984 China's State Council Environmental Protection Committee announced the first batch of "Rare and Endangered Protected Plants List", there are 354 species of rare plants in China (including one subspecies and 21 varieties). There are eight species of plants listed as first-class key protection plants, 143 species of second-class key protection plants, and 203 species of third-class key protection plants.
Rare plants, only refers to the distribution area is narrow, or wide and scattered, the ecological environment is relatively unique, mainly the national level of key protection of China's unique specialty plants, including the world has gone extinct, only in the natural conditions of the Chinese land preserved relict tree species.
The plants under first-class key protection are the specialty of China and have extremely important scientific research, economic and cultural values.
(1) Ancient and rare living fossil--Metasequoia, silver fir, bald fir
Metasequoia glyptostroboides is a world-famous relict tree species, known as the living fossil of Chinese plants.1948 was officially announced to the world, shaking the whole In 1948, Metasequoia glyptostroboides was officially announced to the world, which shook the whole plant world and was regarded as a major discovery in botany in the 20th century. Metasequoia in more than 100 million years ago in the Mesozoic era on the early Cretaceous, had been all over Europe, Asia and North America, but when about 250-300 million years ago when the Quaternary glaciers, the huge glaciers engulfed the ancient Metasequoia, so that it is almost extinct on the earth, only China's Chuan, Hubei, Hunan border zone due to the complexity of the topography towards the influence of glaciers, Metasequoia only to be able to survive.
The Metasequoia is a tall deciduous tree belonging to the family Fir, genus Metasequoia. The tree can reach about 35-40 meters high, the trunk is straight and complete, the big branches are irregularly whorled, the spreading leaves are cross-paired, the branchlets are pendulous, and the leaves are pinnate. Male and female plants, the ball fruit pendulous, flat seeds. 1941 for the first time in Sichuan Wanxian Mudaoxi (now assigned to Hubei Lichuan) found a plant, 35 meters high, diameter around more than seven meters, branches and leaves, branch layer stretching, there are 400 years old, is still in the succession. China Metasequoia, one of the scientific appraisers Hu Xianjian [s) v.] Dr., in 1962, had made "Metasequoia song": "the Cretaceous years of 100 million years, Mangmang Kunwi landscape; Metasequoia is special at that time, the sky giant trees around the North Pole; three times the huge changes in the mountains and rivers, the earth was covered by the ice; all the fang Bu [b & amp; Bu ping sheng] into the southern wilderness, ten thousand sinks fell into the sparse family; only the remaining Chuan E thousand square Miles, the only remnants of the projectile land; hundreds of millions of years of distant descendants survived today, the absolute area of the wind dramatically surprised; groups of rare plants all over the border, everywhere Sun branch rich Mangcang; near the silver cedar can be followed by the Wu, has been seen in the grand floating Han Banner." This poem glorifies the Chinese scientists who constantly discover and create their own amazing moves, making the prehistoric "aftermath" of the ancient sequoia show in front of human beings. The Metasequoia has become a beautiful ornamental plant because of its beautiful posture, dense foliage, tender curls in spring, green in summer, golden yellow in autumn, red in winter, and changing colors in all seasons. Many countries in the world to China for sequoia seedlings, has spread to Europe, America, Asia and Africa, 50 countries and regions, people call "regeneration of the resurrection tree".
China's original wild Metasequoia only distributed in Hubei Lichuan, Sichuan Shizhu, Hunan Longshan a few projectile, but because of the strong adaptability of the Metasequoia, coupled with not only ornamental value, and is a good wood dense, so at present, except for Tibet, the provinces (autonomous regions) are introduced to cultivation, so that people have to see the elegance of the Metasequoia.
Silver fir (Cathaya argyrophylla) silver fir, also known as the fir Gongzi, is the 20th century 50 years after the discovery of the sequoia after another living fossil plant (that is, "sequoia song" mentioned in the "near the silver fir can be followed by the martial arts"). People praise the silver fir as a plant "panda" and a "pearl" in the forest, and it is a relict tree species that only exists in China at present. In 10 million years ago, the silver fir was widely spread in the Eurasian continent, but in the Quaternary period, 2.5-3 million years ago, the temperature changed drastically, and the glaciers covered the area. Only the southwest of China is located in low latitude, and there are mountains barrier, blocking the glacier's intrusion, so that the ancient silver fir survived. China's first discovery of silver fir in guangxi longsheng huaping, for the provincial botanical research institute Mr. ZhongJiXin saw, in 1957 ChenHuanYong, KuangKeRen two professors for it to determine the scientific name. Soon, in Sichuan Jinfoshan, Guizhou's Daozhen, Hunan Xinning and found a small number of silver fir trees. Silver fir is generally distributed in 900-1800 meters above sea level in foggy limestone areas, growing on ridges or steep slopes of cliffs, requiring warm sunny slopes.
Silver fir belongs to the Pinaceae family, the silver fir genus, is an evergreen tree. The trunk is tall, about 20 meters, branch flat column, twigs with hair, green leaves evergreen, leaf linear, the lower side of the two silver-white balloon band. When the breeze blows, from a distance it looks like a glittering silver-white pearl, so it is called silver fir. The male balloon flower is larger than the female balloon flower, monoecious. The fruit is mature that year, the first upright, gradually drooping. The wood of silver fir is hard, corrosion-resistant, and not easy to rot in the ground, so it is a high-quality wood for the construction and shipbuilding industries. Silver fir is different from Metasequoia, poor adaptability, special requirements for the ecological environment, stay in the homeland, difficult to spread, so far only limited to a few deep forests in Southwest China, our country has been in Guangxi Longsheng Huaping to establish the Silver Fir Nature Reserve, vigorously protect this most precious and rare species of trees.
The bald cedar (Taiwania flousiana Gaussen), also known as the Southwest Taiwania, is one of the world's most famous old trees, and is China's unique and precious relict tree species. Bald fir for tall evergreen trees, tree height is generally dozens of meters, is the highest tree in the three fir, diameter around the thick in two meters or more. The crown of the tree is like a tower, majestic. Bald fir is a long-lived old tree, some live for three or four hundred years is still youthful, lush foliage, some even "thousand-year-old master". Bald fir branches are slender and drooping, and the leaves are spirally arranged and tapered. The female bulbous flowers are borne singly at the top of the branches, while the male bulbous flowers are borne in several clusters at the top of the branches. The cones are small, the seeds are flattened, and the bark is very special, shallowly fissured into long irregular strips, and surprisingly does not break if peeled back several meters. Timber texture is good, fragrant and glossy, is a superior wood, can be used as sleepers, poles, bridge wood, high-grade furniture.
Bald fir is distributed in southwest China's Hengduan Mountains region of the Nujiang River, Dulongjiang River Basin, the altitude of 1700-2700 meters between the mountainous areas. Other in Guizhou Leigong Mountain, Hubei Lichuan Xingdu Mountain also have sporadic distribution. In recent years, the bald fir is cultivated artificially, grows more rapidly, and can become an artificial forest.
(2) forest giants - looking sky tree
Looking sky tree (Parashorea chinensis), also known as the Optimist Tree, as the name suggests, the trees in the sky, the top of the sky and the sky. Shaped like a large umbrella, so also called umbrella tree. Plants are generally up to 60 meters high, individual up to 80 meters, there are 20-story building so high. The trunk is long and straight, towering into the clouds, majestic, different from the ordinary. Wangtian tree belongs to the Lobeliaceae, is an evergreen giant tree, leaves alternate, inflorescences are mostly racemose, usually terminal, bisexual flowers, inconspicuous, the fruit is an ovate-ellipsoid nut, covered with velvet, the fruit wings of five, is enlarged by the indented calyx and become, every year in May to bloom, the fruit is ripe in September.
Wangtian tree is currently one of the tallest tree species in Asia. 1975 China's forestry scientists first discovered, is China's endemic tree species. Wangtian tree is only distributed in the upper reaches of the Nanla River in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, for the northern edge of the tropical wet monsoon rainforest area. It generally grows in the low mountain valleys and ravines of 700-1100 meters. At the foot of this forest giant, coiled with four or six large plate root, as if the umbrella "handle". Whenever the "dry season" comes the old leaves fall off, the new leaves immediately send shoots, and draw inflorescences, is always the evergreen umbrella, for people "under the big tree good cool".
(3) dove tree - dove tree
Dove tree (Davidia involucrataBaillon), also known as water pear, water winter fruit, dove tree. Is China's unique relict species. According to legend, the Western Han Dynasty Wang Zhaojun married to the outside of the plug, day and night miss the hometown parents (zigui [z! purple] return to the county of Hubei), will write a letter every month, tied to the feet of the dove to fly home. Pigeon mission, through the thousands of mountains and rivers to fly to his hometown has been very fatigue, perched on the dove tree, and instantly turned into a thousand dove flower wings want to fly. This is just a beautiful legend. In fact, dove tree as early as 1 million years ago in prehistory has been widely spread around the world, to the Quaternary glacial period, due to the cold and severe ice weather on the verge of extinction, only in our country in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan part of the mountainous areas after the robbery and preserved.
Dove tree is a deciduous tree, plants up to 30 meters high. Leaves are alternate on long branches and clustered on short branches. The flowers are polygamous, consisting of a majority of male flowers and one or two bisexual flowers. The terminal head has two large cream-colored bracts like a pair of wings under the inflorescence. The red heads resemble the head of a dove, and the yellowish-green stigma resembles a bird's beak. Whenever dove flowers bloom in spring, the mountain wind blows Buddha, ten thousand flowers fluttering, just like a flock of doves flying. Doves of peace in flight, China's precious dove tree, has been introduced to some countries in Europe and the United States.
Dove tree fruit easy, seedling is more difficult, its ecological environment should be vigorously study, focus on protection. Dove tree is not only the world's valuable ornamental plants, is also a superior wood, its texture is fine, light and hard, can be used as raw materials for handicrafts. (4)Feather umbrella--Cyathea spinulosa
Cyathea spinulosa (Cyathea spinulosa Wall), also known as tree fern, belongs to ferns, Cyathea spinulosa, is the world's oldest living fossil, the only survivor of the woody ferns.
The tree trunk of Cyathea spinulosa is three to eighteen meters high, and the stem is like a column erect and upward, with a diameter of about 20 centimeters. The petiole is long and dark purple, with dense small thorns, the leaf blade is one to two meters long and one meter wide, three times pinnately parted, and the pinnules are linear-lanceolate, like a big umbrella of feathers. The stem can be used as traditional Chinese medicine, called "keel wind", has the effect of driving wind and dampness, strong muscles and bones.
Cyathea spinosa is distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Sichuan in the shady and humid area below 1000 meters above sea level, and grows in the forests and on the shady and moist ground near the streams.
Cyathea is a precious and rare plant in China, a rare ancient forest relic in the same period with the dinosaurs, and has important scientific value for the study of ancient geology, ancient geography and evolution of soil vegetation.1986, China established Cyathea Nature Reserve in Chishui County, Guizhou Province.
(5) The beautiful Camellia chrysantha
Camellia chrysantha is a kind of rare and precious ornamental plant of Camelliaceae, which is listed as the unique and famous flower of our country.It was firstly discovered by our botanist in Nanning area of Guangxi in 1960, and it has become a new talent in the family of Camellia chrysantha, which is unique because of its golden yellow color. Although the world's camellias in a variety of forms, varieties, pink, red, purple, white, only the lack of yellow. China's newly discovered golden tea, golden corolla, with a waxy luster, crystal oily, exquisite, overwhelmed the group. Blooming flowers, beautiful and elegant, corolla like pots, bowls, cups, different shapes and colors.
Golden tea is a small evergreen tree, two - five meters high, the bark is light gray-yellow, dark green leaves. Distributed at an altitude of 100-200 meters in the low and slow hills, growing in well-drained shady slopes and loose soil by the stream. Wild golden tea is only distributed in Guangxi Nanning area Yong [y#ng embrace] Ning County and neighboring areas. 1986 China in Guangxi Fangcheng County in the territory of the establishment of the golden tea nature reserve. Camellia sinensis is a color can be genetically unchanged plant species resources, the horticultural industry said it is the international camellia family "favorite". Artificial cultivation, hybridization, but also created many new varieties of color. In addition, the high economic value of camellia sinensis, leaves and flowers can be used as medicine, treatment of trauma, ulcerated sores, carbuncle [y#ng拥]. Flowers can also cure women's diseases. Usually, people use the leaves and flowers to make tea, sweet and savory flavor. Seeds can be extracted oil. The wood has a hard texture and is often used to make carving handicrafts.
(6) The King of All Herbs--Ginseng
Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A.Mey) is a specialty of China's valuable medicinal herbs, which is known as "the king of all herbs". China is the earliest country in the world to discover ginseng. Ginseng was first recorded in "Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica", people have been taking ginseng in Qin and Han Dynasties, which has a history of more than 2,000 years so far, and there are records about the nature and special function of ginseng in "Materia Medica" of all the dynasties, which are listed as the top grade nourishing medicinal herbs.
The original name of ginseng is "蓡"，"Shuowen Jiezi", "蓡, medicinal herbs, out of the Shangdang." Wu Pu Ben Cao: "Ginseng, a soil essence, essence is also." Ginseng ancient also called human essence, earth essence, human evil force, human Xiang and so on. Generally known as ginseng because of its humanoid shape, commonly known as the mallet.
Ginseng is a perennial herb. Ginseng is a perennial herb. The plant is 30-60 centimeters high, the main root is stout, fleshy, fusiform or cylindrical. The lower part is branched and the outer skin is light yellow. The palmately compound leaves are whorled at the top of the stem, the umbels, yellowish-green, and the berry-shaped drupes, oblate, are bright red when ripe. Ginseng is mostly distributed in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests and under mixed woods at an altitude of several hundred meters. The origin of wild ginseng is Shangdang area in Shanxi, so it is called Shangdang ginseng. Later, due to deforestation, the ecological environment of ginseng was destroyed and nearly extinct. Nowadays, the wild ginseng is mainly grown in the deep forests of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and the north of Hebei. Jilin Changbai Mountain, Heilongjiang Xiaoxinganling red pine forests, low hills and bushes under the shady slopes and deep humus soil, suitable for the growth and development of wild ginseng, because of its precious and rare, is listed as a national level of protection. The famous ginseng hometown is Fusong County, Jilin Province, with artificial cultivation of ginseng of good quality, marketed at home and abroad.
In addition to the above eight rare plants under national level protection, there are 346 plants under second and third level protection. The famous ones are the tall umbrella-shaped ancient ginkgo tree, the beautiful and colorful Taiwan fir, the upright and beautiful money pine, Bole tree, Guangxi Yuanbaoshan fir, Yunnan Gongshan on the three cuspidate fir, can be extracted from anticancer drugs Hainan Cephalotaxus, Shennongjia thousand-year-old hemlock, Hanzhong Shengshui Temple of Han Gui, Kunming Black Dragon Lake Tangmei, Taiwan Alishan's sacred tree, "Juniperus". ", are the green cultural relics of the Chinese land.