Rare dendrobium found in Longling county

The newly discovered dendrobium moschatum at the Xiaoheishan nature reserve in southwest Yunnan’s Longling county

A rare dendrobium moschatum was recently discovered at the Xiaoheishan nature reserve in southwest Yunnan’s Longling. It’s the first time for local conservationists to identify the lovely plant in the county.

The dendrobium features golden flowers with spoon-shaped petals, and it has been formally recognized as dendrobium moschatum by Tan Yunhong, a research fellow at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The newly discovered dendrobium moschatum in southwest Yunnan’s Longling county

The dendrobium blooms during the day from April to July, when it gives off a pleasant smell. “The new discovery of dendrobium shows the biodiversity in our reserve,” said Feng Siqin, a senior engineer at the Xiaoheishan nature reserve.

Dendrobium moschatum mostly appears in southwest Yunnan. It has been listed as a near-threatened species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.

The newly discovered dendrobium moschatum at the Xiaoheishan nature reserve in southwest Yunnan’s Longling county

The newly discovered dendrobium moschatum at the Xiaoheishan nature reserve

Source: Yunnan Daily; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue and Li Junhao