Critically Endangered Species Xichou Qinggang Seeds Fruit for the First Time

After 13 years of ex situ conservation, the critically endangered species Xichou Qinggang has grown for the first time

13 years of ex situ conservation, the critically endangered species Xichou Qinggang's fruit for the first time 13 years of ex-situ conservation, the critically endangered species Xichou Qinggang's first fruit

On July 10, a Xichou Qinggang plant in the Kunming Botanical Garden bears young fruit that resembles a small steamed bun.
This is the first time this species has blossomed and fruited in the Kunming Botanical Garden in 13 years of ex-situ conservation
.

This also marks that Xichou Qinggang, a critically endangered species, has realized ex situ conservation of "from seed to seed" in Kunming Botanical Garden.

Xichou Qinggang is a critically endangered species that has received wide attention from the world.
It was listed in the "Outline of Yunnan Province's Very Small Population Species Rescue and Conservation Plan (2010-2015) and Emergency Action Plan (2010-2015)" approved by the Yunnan People's Government in 2010 It is one of 62 extremely small populations of wild plants that urgently need to be saved and protected
.

Xichou Cyclobalanopsis has beautiful tree shape, bright red young leaves, large and beautiful fruits.

According to reports, Cyclobalanopsis xichou is an evergreen tree of the Fagaceae Cyclobalanopsis genus.
The branchlets have grooves, the upper part of the leaf has sparse serrations, and the back of the leaf is pink and white with comb hair.
Its nuts are large and flat, with a diameter of 3 to 4 cm and a height of up to It is 2 cm, completely covered by a lignified crust, which is different from other species in the genus Cyclobalanopsis
.

With the support of relevant national scientific research projects, the extremely small population protection team of the Kunming Institute of Botany , Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a comprehensive survey of the germplasm resources of Cyclobalanopsis xichou, and systematically carried out conservation biology research

Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of Sciences ChineseAcademy of Sciences Chinese Academy ofSciences

In 2008, in order to rescue Xichou Cyclobalanopsis, the research team of Zhou Zhekun from Kunming Institute of Botany collected a batch of Cyclobalanopsis xichou seeds from Funing County
.

Kunming Botanical Garden used this batch of seeds to carry out breeding technology research and successfully cultivated a batch of seedlings, which were planted in the park in 2010 to carry out observation research on ex-situ conservation biology

It is reported that Xichou Qinggang distributed in Funing has established a protection community to protect each individual plant and its habitat
.

The very small population protection team has successfully cultivated more than 2,000 seedlings, and cooperated with the Maguan Gulinqing Provincial Nature Reserve, Funing County Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Dali Yunlong Caojian Forest Farm and other units to systematically carry out near-field protection and relocation.

Young fruit of Xichou Qinggang in Kunming Botanical Garden (photo by Chen Zhifa)

Xichou Cyclobalanopsis flat spherical nuts (commonly known as seeds) (photo by Sun Weibang)

Xichou Qinggang flat spherical shell (all nuts) (photo by Sun Weibang)