The beautiful trees native to China

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March 12 is China's national Tree-planting Day. On this day, many organizations hold tree-planting activities to promote forest protection.

There are thousands of species of trees in China and below is a small selection of some beautiful but rare types of trees native to the country.

Dawn Redwood

Dawn Redwood forest in winter. /VCG Photo

The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et W. C. Cheng) only survives in parts of south-central China. It is a fast-growing ornamental plant. The tree has feather-like leaves. It's under China's national protection, and listed as “endangered” by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Dove Tree

Dove tree. /VCG Photo

The dove tree (Davidia involucrate) is a fast-growing tree that is native to South Central and Southwest China. It has heart-shaped leaves that are about 10-20 cm long and 7-15 cm wide. It was introduced from China to world in early 20th century, now it's cultivated worldwide.

Cathaya

Cathaya forest. /VCG Photo

Cathaya (Cathaya argyrophylla) is found on steep mountain slopes in southern China. It has needle-like leaves that grow to 2.5-5 cm long. Evergreen under China's first-class protection, it's dubbed as the “plant panda” by Chinese botanists.

Parashorea chinensis

Parashorea chinensis. /VCG Photo

Parashorea chinensis is a large tree species that is native to China, Vietnam and Laos. It's is assessed as “endangered” by IUCN Red List. It can grow up to 80 meters tall and is under first-class national protection in China.

Flying spider-monkey tree fern

Flying spider-monkey tree fern. /VCG Photo

Flying spider-monkey tree fern (Cyathea spinulosa) is widely distributed across Asia including China, India and Japan. The trunk of the tree can grow to five meters or more. The tree flowers during May to September and the stems are edible.

Golden Larch

Golden larch. /VCG Photo

Golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis (Nelson) Rehd.) is a species of coniferous trees that is native to Eastern China. Its trunk can reach 30 to 40 meters tall. Its leaves are 3-6 cm long and 2-3 mm broad. The plant is used in Chinese medicine and is cultivated as ornamental tree worldwide.

Gingko

Gingkos. /VCG Photo

Gingko (Ginkgo biloba), also known as maidenhair tree, is native to China but widely cultivated. It is a large tree and can reach a height of 20-35 meters. Gingko has fan-shaped leaves which are usually 5-10 cm long. It can live for a long time, hence its nickname, living fossil. It's commonly used in Chinese medicine and cooking.

(Top images via VCG)

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