Forest of endangered trees found in GD
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China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest, which has recently been discovered in Suixi county in western part of Guangdong province, is expected to become a new tourist attraction in the months to come.

The powder-puff trees (Barringtonia racemosa), which were found on both banks in the lower reaches of a river in Suixi's Chengyueguantian village, occupy an area of about 5 hectares inside a 100-hectare mangrove forest.

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The powder-puff tree forest, including more than 6,700 trees, is the largest found on the Chinese mainland, according to Yang Feng, a senior engineer at the marine planning and economic department of the Zhanjiang natural resources bureau.

Yang said the powder-puff tree is excellent for landscaping. It has beautiful shape, elegant posture, whirling branches and leaves and is evergreen all the year, with a long flowering period.

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

"It blooms almost all year round in tropical areas, and has many flowers," he said.

"Now, we are stepping up the promotion of relevant protection projects on the powder-puff trees, with the aim of informing more people about the forest in the months to come," Yang said.

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhou Haiqiang, Party secretary of the village, said local residents are no strangers to the trees and praised the special flowers in their village for their beauty.

"But they do not recognize it an endangered species," Zhou said, even though the trees were listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in 2012.

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The distinctively shaped fruit of the powder-puff trees is green and attractive, he said, adding the trees usually send out a special smell, attracting bees and butterflies when in bloom. They are often mixed with mangroves, so they are called semi-mangrove.

Powder-puff trees are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Oceania. In China, powder-puff trees have mainly been found in Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan and Guangdong provinces and in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The species has been regarded as a treasure hidden in coastal forests.

China's largest natural powder-puff tree forest was discovered recently in Suixi county in the western part of Guangdong province. [Photo by Guo Longbi/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Source: China Daily
Editor: Lyu Yun