Breeding a plant that is so rare that it is protected 24/7.

Once in the forest, the expert unexpectedly found a type of tree that had only one individual left alive on Earth .

The only tree on Earth

In August 1927, Chinese botanist Chung Quan Quang and his research team went to Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province to collect specimens. Here, they found many rare plant species. While searching, he accidentally discovered a plant that he had never seen before. However, Chung's team at that time could not determine what species this plant belonged to.

It was not until 1932 that another botanist, Professor Trinh Van Quan, identified it as belonging to the genus Carpinus (Ngã Nhĩ Lịch) of the family Betulaceae (the Birch family or also known as the Càng Lò family). Because it was only found on Mount Putuo, this tree was named Putuo Nga Nhĩ Lịch, or Putuo goose-ear oak.

After 2 years of detailed research on this tree, experts decided to name it Putuo Goose Ear Oak . The reason they named it that is because this is the only species found in Putuo Mountain.

A type of tree that Chung Phan Quang had never seen before was discovered in Putuo Mountain. (Photo: Sohu).

In fact, there used to be a large number of this tree species distributed on Mount Putuo, but due to frequent large-scale deforestation and land reclamation, the number of trees decreased sharply. After several decades, there was finally only one tree left growing in the Hui Sui Temple on the mountain.

At that time, there was only one Putuo goose-ear oak tree left on Earth. Therefore, it was also known as "the only child of the Earth" . Scientists used many technical measures and determined the age of this Putuo goose-ear oak tree to be 250 years old. The tree is about 14m high, with a diameter of more than 60cm. The bark is gray, the leaves are large and dark green, and the canopy is slightly skewed. Even though it has gone through hundreds of years of wind and rain, it is still green.

The difference between male and female flowers of Putuo goose ear oak. (Photo: The Paper).

This tree is so rare that it is protected 24/7.

After the news of the discovery of the Putuo Goose Ear Oak was announced, many tourists flocked to Putuo Mountain to see it with their own eyes. The government, worried that someone would come and harm the precious tree, specially assigned security personnel to guard it 24/7 . However, when considering the possibilities, botanists believe that this method of protection is not the best for two reasons.

The Putuo goose-ear oak tree has a very special shape. (Photo: Sohu)

• First , the original habitat of the tree was destroyed. The forest area on Putuo Mountain has degraded, leading to a loss of biodiversity. Habitat competition or illegal logging are the reasons why rare plants such as Putuo goose-ear oak are at risk of extinction.
• Second , the fertility of Putuo goose-ear oak is very poor. In particular, after the branches are cut, the tree is very difficult to germinate and regenerate. In addition, the male and female flowers of the tree bloom at different times, and the flowering time overlaps for a short time. Male flowers usually bloom 10 days earlier than female flowers, and they only meet for about 9 days, so the ability to self-pollinate is very poor. Moreover, the seed quality of Putuo goose-ear oak is also not good. The seed coat is thick and hard, and the germination rate is not high. In addition, the Putuo Mountain area often has strong winds, and the tree's seeds will be blown away. At the same time, the ecological environment is destroyed, reducing pollination by insects.

Flowers of the Putuo goose-ear oak tree have poor self-pollination ability. (Photo: Sohu).

For the above reasons, scientists have not found any seedlings growing under the mother tree for many years of monitoring. It can be seen that the natural reproduction of Putuo goose-ear oak in the natural environment is extremely difficult . Finally, they decided to propagate it.

Breeding rare plants and sending them into space

Since 2000, a research team has started related work. They have successively applied sexual and asexual reproduction methods to expand the population of Putuo goose-ear oak . After many years of efforts, today the number of Putuo goose-ear oak seedlings has reached more than 40,000 trees . This is also a new record for the number of seedlings propagated by this tree. They are gradually moved to other localities for propagation and conservation.

Putuo goose-ear oak is a rare tree that has been brought into space. (Photo: Sohu).

Initially, Putuo goose-ear oak trees were planted in some areas of Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province in the greening campaign. They have played a very important role in promoting the green, clean and beautiful landscape of these places. In April 2020, more than 100 Putuo goose-ear oak seedlings were transferred to Zhengzhou, Henan, China. These seedlings are the result of a research project on remote domestication and peripheral protection by experts from the two provinces.

Even the Tiangong-1 space station launched in 2011 carried four unique Chinese trees. The Putuo goose-ear oak was one of the trees brought along for space breeding experiments.

The number of Putuo goose-ear oak trees has increased to tens of thousands, helping it no longer fall into the danger of extinction.

Currently, thanks to the cooperation of many stakeholders, the Putuo goose-ear oak tree has escaped the danger of extinction.