As the city tree for the Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, ficus virens is one of the commonly-seen ornamental plants in the urban area of Chongqing. The trees are mostly grown on both sides of roads and thanks to the dense leaves and far stretching branches, they create a nice shade for people to walk under especially in hot summer.

The tree can reach 15 to 20 meters tall, thanks to its strong adaptability, trees of hundred years old are commonplace. Ficus virens have long been considered as ways to bring evil spirits or ghosts back in olden times, so it is sort of taboo to grow the trees in the family yard.

Arborvitae normally grows in cliff gaps at the altitude between 700 to 2,100 meters. In 1892, a French missionary firstly found the plant in Chengkou County in Chongqing, making it the earliest discovery of western red cedar in China.

In 1999, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature announced the extinction of the plant in China. However, the conclusion was overthrown after a group of Chinese scientists have found a patch of wild western red cedar in Chengkou County a year later.

Although the surprising discovery has brought new hope to the plant, its slow growth rate still poses a challenge if the wild western red cedar wants to widely prosper. 

The Tongliang District in Chongqing has grown the citron daylily for over 400 years. Eating the flower helps lower stress, therefore, it is also known as Forget-Me-Not.

The mild climate and sufficient sunlight on the district's Lanfeng Mountain have created an agreeable environment for the plant to grow rapidly with large flowers, making it one of the more unique plants in the area. Now citron daylily are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.

China's Flora Tour

From the wetlands along the coast to the dense rainforests hidden in southwest, China boasts an array of plant species. In this series, we will go on a tour to learn about some of the most representative flora in different provinces and see how they live in harmony with local geography and climate.

(Top image designed by CGTN.)

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