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🇨🇳 The flowers of China

370 pages from China: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 58 cities and regions.

China is home to an extraordinary range of flowering plants, with over 30,000 native species and many found nowhere else. Its vast territory covers many climates, from tropical forests to deserts, supporting unique flowers like the Chinese aster, dove-tree, and peony. Endemic and culturally significant species set China's flora apart.

  • China has over 30,000 native plant species, many found nowhere else.
  • The peony is a cultural symbol of wealth and honor.
  • Dawn redwood was rediscovered in China after being thought extinct.
  • Fritillaria delavayi camouflages to avoid being picked.
  • Bamboo and sweet wormwood are widely used in daily life and medicine.

The plant life of China

China's plant life is among the richest in the world, shaped by its huge size and varied landscapes. From humid tropical forests in the south to dry deserts in the northwest, the country supports over 39,000 vascular plant species. More than half of these are found only in China. Ancient geological changes and the survival of plants through the last ice age have helped preserve many rare and ancient species. Forests, grasslands, bamboo groves, and alpine meadows all add to the diversity, making China a global center for plant variety.

From region to region in China

Plant life changes dramatically across China. The northeast has cold coniferous forests and mixed woodlands, while the subtropical south is lush with broad-leaved forests and bamboo. The southwest, including Yunnan and Tibet, is a refuge for ancient trees and rare flowers, spared from the last ice age. Tropical rainforests in Yunnan and Hainan are especially rich in species. In contrast, the north and northwest are drier, with fewer species and more grasslands or desert plants.

Flowers to know in China

China is known for flowers like the Chinese aster and the peony, a symbol of wealth and honor. The dove-tree, golden larch, and dawn redwood are rare trees native to China, with the dawn redwood once thought extinct. The happy tree and gutta-percha tree are valued for their traditional uses. Many species, such as the Yunnan cypress and Fritillaria delavayi, are found only in China and are now threatened or endangered.

How flowers are used in China

Plants have deep roots in Chinese culture, medicine, and daily life. Over 10,000 species are used, mostly in traditional medicine. Sweet wormwood, for example, has been used since ancient times for fevers. Bamboo is woven into mats and toys. Flowers like the peony appear in art and as symbols. Many plants are also grown for food or exported worldwide.

Threats and protection in China

Habitat loss, climate change, and overharvesting threaten many native plants. Endemic and useful species are especially at risk, with a third of useful plants both unique to China and threatened. Some, like Fritillaria delavayi, have even evolved to hide from collectors. Conservation efforts include national and international programs to protect rare species and habitats.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flora of China", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Flower experiences in China

All 4
🇨🇳 Kunming · All yearDounan flower marketChina's largest cut-flower market, where much of the trade happens in the evening. 🇨🇳 Suzhou · Mar to OctClassical gardens of SuzhouScholar gardens of rock, water and pavilions, where each season has its chosen flower. 🇨🇳 Luoyang · Apr to MayLuoyang peony seasonThe old capital of Luoyang fills its parks with tree peonies every April. 🇨🇳 Luoping · Feb to MarLuoping canola flower seaYellow rapeseed fields stretching between small limestone hills in eastern Yunnan.

Cities and regions of China

Beijing 5Guangzhou 5Yunnan 5Hangzhou 4Shanghai 4Fujian 3Guangdong 3Gansu 2Heilongjiang 2Hubei 2Jiangsu 2Kaifeng 2Kunming 2Tibet 2Xinjiang 2Xishuangbanna 2Anhui 1Baoshan District 1Bayi 1Bita Lake 1Bome 1Bozhou 1Chuzhou 1Diqing 1Fuzhou 1Haidian 1Hebei 1Henan 1Heze 1Jingdezhen 1Jingtai County 1Jiujiang 1Kanas Lake 1Khorgas 1Luohu District 1Luoping 1Matsu Islands 1Mengla County 1Mount Lu 1Nanjing 1Narati Grassland 1Qiu County 1Qujing 1Shaanxi 1Shangri-La 1Shanxi 1Shennongjia 1Shenzhen 1Shudu Lake 1Sichuan 1Suzhou 1Tianhe District 1Tongxiang 1Wenzhou 1Yangtze region 1Yining 1Zayu 1Zhejiang 1
ShowFlowersDecorationsPlaces
KindBotanical gardenFlower gardenFlower marketBloom siteFestival or show
Place Rose garden A public garden devoted to growing and displaying many kinds of roses L'Haÿ-les-Roses, 🇫🇷 France · Flower garden Place Yuyuantan Park玉渊潭公园 A large Beijing park famous for its cherry blossom in spring Beijing, 🇨🇳 China · Flower garden Place China National Botanical Garden国家植物园 A vast botanical garden in Beijing with research, rare plants, and public displays Beijing, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place West Lake西湖 The historic lakeside landscape at the heart of Hangzhou, China Hangzhou, 🇨🇳 China · Flower garden Place Kunming Botanical Garden A major botanical garden and plant research centre in Kunming, Yunnan, China Kunming, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Luoping County罗平县 A county in Yunnan, China, famous for its golden canola fields in spring Luoping, 🇨🇳 China · Bloom site, Mar to Jun Place Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefectureئىلى قازاق ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى A vast, multi-ethnic region in northern Xinjiang, China, known for its grasslands and borderlands Khorgas, 🇨🇳 China · Bloom site Place Potatso National Park普达措国家公园 A highland park of lakes, forests, and rare plants near Shangri-La, Yunnan Shangri-La, 🇨🇳 China · Bloom site Place Lushan Botanical Garden庐山植物园 A large botanical garden on Mount Lu, known for its gymnosperm collection Jiujiang, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens香港動植物公園 A historic garden and zoo in Central, Hong Kong with themed plant collections 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Hangzhou Botanical Garden杭州植物园 A public botanical garden in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China Hangzhou, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园 A major tropical botanical garden and research centre in southern Yunnan, China Kunming, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place South China National Botanical Garden华南国家植物园 A major botanical garden in Guangzhou with diverse plant collections and research focus Guangzhou, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Fairylake Botanical Garden仙湖植物园 A vast botanical garden at the foot of Wutong Mountain in Shenzhen, China Shenzhen, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden嘉道理農場暨植物園 A valley botanic garden and conservation centre in Hong Kong’s New Territories 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Nanjing Botanical Garden, Memorial Sun Yat-Sen南京中山植物园 A historic botanical garden beside Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China Nanjing, 🇨🇳 China · Botanical garden Place Nyingchi林芝市 / ཉིང་ཁྲི་གྲོང་ཁྱེར། A city in Tibet known for vast forests and mountain scenery Bayi, 🇨🇳 China · Flower garden Place Gucun Park顾村公园 A spacious urban park in Baoshan District, Shanghai, known for its cherry blossom festival Shanghai, 🇨🇳 China · Flower garden

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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