SW China's Yunnan sees critically endangered Pedicularis humilis in full bloom

A scientific research team has recently discovered that the number of Pedicularis humilis in the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve (GNNR), southwest China's Yunnan province jumped from more than 300 in 2015 to over 1,000.

The discovery was made by the scientific research team composed of technicians from the Kunming Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Baoshan management and protection bureau of GNNR during a comprehensive scientific field investigation on the establishment of plant and ecological systems.

According to the technicians, Pedicularis humilis is a perennial herb grown in alpine meadows alongside rhododendron bushes at an altitude of 3,000 to 3,200 meters. Endemic to China, the wild plant only has a very small population in Yunnan province. The red list of biological species in Yunnan province (2017 edition) once listed it as a critically endangered species.

Photo shows flowers of the Pedicularis humilis. (Photo provided by Li Jiahua, Mang Hongsheng)