A rare thousand-year-old oak tree was found in Henan! Was it planted by a famous general of the Sui and Tang dynasties?

"It is rare to find two thousand-year-old precious ancient oak trees in the southern mountainous area of ​​Wugang for the first time. This provides extremely high scientific and cultural research value for the city's enrichment of forest resources and economic forest construction." Wan Shaoxia, chief popular science expert and senior engineer of Henan Province, said with emotion. On October 15, the animal and plant resources research and investigation team of the chief expert of Wugang City, Henan Province, found two thousand-year-old rare and precious ancient oak trees while investigating the eastern slope of Erhu Mountain in the south of Jiutou Cliff in the southern mountainous area of ​​the city. Experts identified them as the largest precious ancient oak trees in Henan Province, one of the ancient tree species in my country, and a national key protected plant. The tree is more than 1,400 years old, with a thick trunk, a broad crown, luxuriant branches and leaves, and full of vitality.

Senior Engineer Wan Shaoxia (first from left), Senior Engineer Yang Lihui (first from right), and Outstanding Talent Chen Xiangyang (center) investigate the growth environment of the ancient oak tree. Photo by Ge Yanhong

In order to understand the current status of local forest tree species resources and accelerate the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation, ecological and natural environment protection, and talent-driven city development, the Talent Office of the Organization Department of Wugang Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal Science and Technology Association, the Municipal Forestry Bureau, and the Municipal Forest Farm jointly organized a forest resource scientific expedition team consisting of five chief popular science experts and outstanding talents, including Wan Shaoxia, Yang Lihui, Ge Yanhong, and Chen Xiangyang, to conduct field surveys of wild rare animal and plant resources in the natural ecological dense forests of Jiutou Cliff and Dengtaijia Mountain Area in the city from May to October. When the investigation team passed the eastern slope of Erhu Mountain in the south of Jiutou Cliff, they discovered two rare and precious ancient oak trees that were thousands of years old.

Senior Engineer Wan Shaoxia (first from left), Senior Engineer Yang Lihui (middle), and Outstanding Talent Chen Xiangyang (first from right) conducted on-site investigation and survey to measure the age and growth characteristics of the ancient oak tree. Photo by Ge Yanhong

According to on-site survey and measurement by experts, the oak tree belongs to the Fagaceae family, a deciduous tree, the genus Quercus, and its scientific name is Quercus variabilis, also known as black oak and oak tree; the two thousand-year-old oak trees are 50 meters apart, of which the larger tree is 22 meters high, 5 meters high, 8 meters in chest circumference, 24 meters in crown diameter, and the crown projection area is more than 500 square meters; the trunk is hollow, and the cavity is hollow to the root. Although the tree has gone through thousands of years of vicissitudes, it is still lush and green, with abundant fruits and vitality. The local people call it the "King of Oak Trees". According to the inscription, Dou Jiande, a famous general in the Sui and Tang dynasties, planted it to commemorate his two sons who died in battle, and named it the General Tree.

Members of the scientific expedition team carefully interpreted the inscriptions on the spot. Photo by Ge Yanhong

The leaves of this tree are lanceolate or oblong, gradually pointed at the apex, with thorn-like serrations on the margins, and the backs of the leaves are densely covered with gray-white star-shaped hairs; the tree is monoecious, the male flowers are cylindrical spike-shaped, the young fruits are oblate, the cupules are bowl-shaped or cup-shaped when mature, the bracts are wedge-shaped or subulate, hard and recurved; the nuts are nearly spherical or broadly ovate, with rounded apex. When mature, they are shiny brown-red. The flowering period is early April, and the fruits mature in mid-September. Yang Lihui, chief popular science expert and senior engineer of Pingdingshan City, introduced: "The first discovery of the thousand-year-old precious ancient oak tree in the local area is due to the unique forest ecological natural environment. This shows that the Jiutouya Natural Ecological Reserve has rich vegetation, mild climate, and good ecological protection, providing a good growth environment for animals and plants."

Members of the scientific expedition team surveyed and measured the growth of the roots of the ancient oak tree. Photo by Ge Yanhong

It is understood that Wugang City is located in the foothills of Funiu Mountain, with rich animal and plant resources. The soil types where the tree is located are mainly yellow-brown soil and yellow-brown soil, which are suitable for the normal growth of various oak species. Therefore, it is widely distributed in the area and has a 300-year cultivation history. There are more than 100,000 mu of natural secondary and artificial oak forests in Wugang City alone. The main distribution includes cork oak, chestnut oak, oak, green oak, Mongolian oak, etc.; most of them grow in closed forests and the tree growth is good.

Members of the scientific expedition team are conducting a survey of wild plant resources in the ecological dense forest. Photo by Ge Yanhong

Wugang City has a forest coverage of more than 80% of its mountainous area, and its vegetation is very rich. As a priority area for terrestrial biodiversity conservation in Henan Province, it has nurtured rich biological species resources. So far, the survey team has used high-branch shears, insect nets, and photographic scanning to conduct a comprehensive, systematic, and accurate assessment of the diversity of flora and fauna in the area. The survey has found more than 172 species of wild forest plants, 375 species of insects, and more than 50 species of wild animals in the mountainous area.

Text/Photo by Ge Yanhong