Recently, an investigation team of wild plant resources launched by the Guizhou Forestry Bureau found 18 Firmiana kwangsiensis, a rare plant species under first-class state protection in China, in Wangmo County of Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Firmiana kwangsiensis is considered "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and this is the first time the species has been discovered in Guizhou. The plant was found in a dry-hot valley area of the Beipan River between 450 and 520 meters above sea level, with a total of 18 plants scattered on one side of the river bank. So far, the original distribution of 22 species of first-class state-protected wild plants in Guizhou Province has increased to 23 species.

Firmiana kwangsiensis is a deciduous plant with a height of about 10 meters. The flowers look like strings of firecrackers hanging along the branches, and the blooming period lasts from late May to June. The plant is endemic to China, and the previously recorded distribution area was extremely limited, only covering parts of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China.

(Cover courtesy to Xu Jian.)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)