Wild Taxus chinensis over 500 years old spotted in Yunnan, SW China

(Photo/Courtesy of the media convergence center of Changning county)

Recently, a wild Taxus chinensis over 500 years old has been discovered at a nature reserve in Changning county, Baoshan city in southwest China's Yunnan Province. It is the largest and oldest wild Taxus chinensis that has ever been found in the region. According to the statistics collected by technicians with the forestry authorities, the tree's roots extend outwards at a circumference of 236 centimeters.

The wild Taxus chinensis was spotted growing in a broadleaf forest at an elevation of over 2,600 meters. The age-old tree has mature roots and luxuriant foliage, and more surprisingly, fresh sprouts were seen rising out of its gnarled branches.

The wild Taxus chinensis, an ancient variety of a tree species that has existed since the quaternary glaciation, has been inscribed into the worldwide list of rare and endangered plants. Because of its small population in the wild, the tree has also been acclaimed as the "gold of the plant kingdom".