Protecting the river beach! The "amphibious guards" that are not afraid of flooding have "settled down" on both sides of the Yangtze River

The model species of the sparse-flowered water cypress was discovered and named by the Wuhan Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences in the Three Gorges area in 1984. It is only distributed in Sichuan Province, Chongqing City and Hubei Province in the Yangtze River Basin. The sparse-flowered water cypress has a strong ability to resist flood impact and endure waterlogging. It has peculiar branches and leaves, a beautiful tree shape, and colorful flowers when it blooms, which has a high ornamental value.

Wild cypress branches

The genus Eupatorium is an upright shrub that can reach 1.5 meters in height. Most of the flowers are pink and white, and only a few plants have pink or lavender flowers. The flowering and fruiting period is very long. It has a developed root system with a root length of 3-10 meters. It can protect soil and sand and green the riverbed water level fluctuation zone, and has positive significance for restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River and improving the landscape along the Yangtze River.

The sparse-flowered water cypress is a flood-tolerant plant. Its dormancy is different from that of ordinary plants. Its annual growth cycle is about seven months. Once the river water submerges it, it immediately enters a dormant state. Once the water recedes, the plant emerges from the water and immediately begins to sprout, bloom and bear fruit. It is a typical amphibian plant, which is of great significance for the study of plant evolution, plant genetics and variation, and the relationship between plants and the environment. It is listed as a national second-level protected wild plant. The Wuhan Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has determined that this species is a critically endangered species.

Since 2007, the Yangtze River Rare Plant Cultivation Base has gradually implemented field surveys and protection research on the sparse-flowered water chestnut. After years of scientific research, it has overcome the problems of low seedling emergence rate and low seedling success rate under natural conditions of the sparse-flowered water chestnut, successfully cultivated more than 50,000 seedlings, and allowed more than 7,000 sparse-flowered water chestnuts to "settle down" on both sides of the Yangtze River through wild reintroduction.

In recent years, researchers have discovered more and more Eupatorium sparsely flowered in the wild. In 2021, on an island in the middle of the Yangtze River in Jiang'an, Yibin, Sichuan, Eupatorium sparsely flowered growing on the river beach grew well and bloomed pink flowers, which were particularly beautiful. In the winter sun, the tiny leaves were bright green. According to statistics, there are more than 30,000 Eupatorium sparsely flowered along part of the Yangtze River in Jiang'an County, which is the largest and most numerous population of Eupatorium sparsely flowered found in my country.

Recently, a research team discovered a new distribution point of the rare and endangered plant Eupatorium sparsely flowered in the Minjiang River Basin, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The newly discovered distribution community is located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. They are scattered or in groups of three or five. Their vigorous roots are deeply rooted in the ground and in the cracks of rocks. Their branches are vigorous and lush, and the tallest one is nearly two meters tall.

Changes in the natural environment, such as precipitation, temperature, soil type and groundwater level, will affect the survival of Eupatorium sparsely flowered in the wild. The discovery of wild Eupatorium sparsely flowered populations proves that the ecological environment on both sides of the Yangtze River continues to improve. This new discovery provides a good opportunity for further in-depth research on this species and lays a good foundation for the protection and utilization of rare plants in the riparian zone.

Review expert: Gao Zhiling, Professor of College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Xinhuanet

Co-production