An endangered Chinese yew shrub with rare yellow berries was discovered during a forest exploration in Le'an County, Fuzhou City of east China's Jiangxi Province.
The Chinese yew is an evergreen tall tree unique to China's southeastern region, which usually produces red berries.
The newly discovered tree has nearly 300 plump yellow berries.
A Chinese yew tree with red berries. /VCG Photo
According to preliminary identification by an expert from Jiangxi Agricultural University, the tree is a special variation of Chinese yew, estimated to be over 500 years old. It measures about 20 meters in height with a diameter at breast height of 1.6 meters.
The population of wild Chinese yew is estimated to be around 800,000 trees. The number has been on the decline since the 1990s after scientists found that the tree species can produce paclitaxel which is crucial for cancer treatment. The other parts of it, such as roots, leaves and barks are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.
An almost century-old Chinese yew in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. /VCG Photo
The Chinese yew grows slowly and has a poor regeneration ability, making the species unable to meet the strong medical demand. It has been placed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is under first-class protection in China.
A Chinese yew with yellow berries. /CCTV Photo
According to the expert, the brightly colored yellow flowers and fruits of this special plant are highly valued in gardening. As for other aspects, more research needs to be conducted to know whether it has the same amount of paclitaxel as a common Chinese yew tree.