How unique is the Jade Dragon Fern discovered for the first time in Qinghai?

Qilian Mountain National Park, Qinghai Province

Recently, we received some good news:

First Discovery

National first-class protected plants

——Jade Dragon Fern

It looks like this↓↓↓

Image source: CCTV News Client

Ferns are a relatively primitive group of higher plants and are also the earliest terrestrial plants. There are more than 10,000 species of ferns in the world, and nearly 2,000 species in my country. The Qinghai Flora published from 1995 to 1999 records that there are 41 species of wild ferns in Qinghai, belonging to 14 families and 19 genera.

Alpine maidenhair fern (above), golden hairy fern (middle), cold fern (below)

Image source: China Green Times Photographer: Zhang Shengbang

In recent years, new records of fern surveys in Qinghai have been broken many times. For example, spider rock ferns can be found at altitudes above 4,600 meters in Sanjiangyuan, filling some gaps in Qinghai fern research.

At present, there are nearly 60 species of ferns recorded in Qinghai Province, including silver powder back fern, palm leaf fern, long cover fern, western Yunnan golden hair naked fern, Chinese cleome fern, multi-scale fern, jade dragon fern, Qinling oak fern, etc., which are distributed in the high-altitude Sanjiangyuan and the high-arid Qaidam. In the Lancang River Park of Sanjiangyuan National Park, there are alpine aspleniaceae, northwest aspleniaceae, sparse leaf fern, cold fern and mesh wattle, among which alpine aspleniaceae is a new record species in Qinghai.

Adiantum (above) and Pteris sparsely leafed (below)

Image source: China Green Times Photographer: Zhang Shengbang

The jade dragon fern discovered this time

Why is it a critically endangered plant at the “national treasure level”?

How unique is it?

How precious is it?

Image source: CCTV News Client

The Jade Dragon Fern is one of the most cold-resistant species of ferns produced in China. It has low reproductive capacity, a small population, and extremely rare individuals. It is a national first-class protected plant. Workers discovered the rare plant Jade Dragon Fern in the crevices of mountains at an altitude of 3,700-3,800 meters. This is also the first discovery in Qinghai, providing a more extensive reference basis for further research on the biological characteristics of the Jade Dragon Fern.

Although the Jade Dragon Fern is not very attractive in appearance, it is a species unique to my country. There are only two species in the world, both of which are distributed in my country. One is the Jade Dragon Fern and the other is the Egg-feathered Jade Dragon Fern.

Image source: CCTV News Client

Many people think that the precious species on the plateau are either "top carnivores" such as snow leopards and yaks, or precious plants such as snow lotus and cordyceps. However, the value of the Jade Dragon Fern is no less than these traditional rare animals and plants.

The number of Yulong fern is small and rare, and it is of great value for studying the systematic evolution of ferns in the Asian high mountains or Himalayas and the flora of East Asia. This includes the significance of biodiversity, fern research and other aspects, and it has obviously transcended the value of the simple existence of the species. Therefore, it was included in the "National Key Protected Wild Plant List (First Batch)" approved on August 4, 1999, with a protection level of national first-level key protection, and was also included in the "World Conservation Union Red List of Endangered Species" (IUCN) for protection.

Image source: Plant Intelligence Photography: Zhu Xinxin

Kind tips:

In the plateau area, no matter what plants you encounter, never dig or damage them at will, so that these endangered rare plants can temporarily escape the disasters caused by human activities.

END

Source: Beijing Daily China Green Times Magic Cube Science

Producer: Ma Yujuan Editor: Wu Nan

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