Overview flowers of Chinese dove tree in Hunan province

　　双语丨鸽子花，你在湖南可见过？

　　Overview flowers of Chinese dove tree in Hunan province

鸽子花：花型似鸽子展翅，象征和平。两片大而洁白的花瓣，像是白鸽的一对翅膀，绿黑色的花序像鸽子的嘴喛。

　　The white Chinese dove tree flower looks like a dove flying, and thus symbolizes peace.

学名：珙桐，又称“中国鸽子树”，是植物界著名的“活化石”。珙桐是1000万年前新生代第三纪留下的孑遗植物，在第四纪冰川时期，大部分地区的珙桐相继灭绝，只有在中国南方的一些地区幸存下来，被称为“植物大熊猫”。

　　The Chinese dove tree, officially called davidia involucrata, a tertiary relic species endemic to China, is reputed to be a 'living fossil' in the plant kingdom, and just survives in some southern regions of China.

习性：春末夏初开花，花期4月，果期10月。珙桐喜欢生长在海拔1500—2200米的润湿的常绿阔叶与落叶阔叶混交林中，对环境的要求十分独特。（资料图）

　　Adaptability: Flowers of Chinese dove tree bloom in April and its fruit maturates in October. It grows in the wet evergreen and deciduous broad leavedmingled forest.

分布：珙桐是我国特有的珍稀名贵树种，产于湖北西部、湖南西部、四川以及贵州云南两省北部，为国家一级保护植物。湖南境内珙桐自然分布带主要在西北部的桑植、慈利、武陵源、天门山、永顺、石门。

　　Distribution: This unique Chinese dove tree is mainly distributed in western Hubei, western Hunan, Sichuan, northern Guizhou and Yunnan. In Hunan province, it’s mainly distributed in Sangzhi county, Cili county, Wulingyuan, Tianmen Mountain, Yongshun county, and Shimen county.

　　 珙桐湖南观赏地推荐：

　　Where to watch flowers of Chinese dove tree in Hunan:

桑植县八大公山：在湖南，珙桐集中分布在武陵山区，以八大公山最多，一万多株。珙桐分布面积4.5公顷，已有1200年以上的历史。

　　Badagong Mountain in Sangzhi county: The most Chinese dove trees (more than 10,000) are distributed in Badagong Mountain, covering an area of 4.5 hectare.

八大公山的“珙桐王”是世界上最大和最古老的珙桐，树高30米，胸径1.2米，树龄390余年。

　　King of Chinese Dove Tree, the world’s largest and oldest one growing in Badagong Mountain, has the height of 30 meters, trunk diameter of 1.2 meters and an age of over 390 years.

这株“珙桐王”已经步入了它的老年时光，八大公山管理处工作人员为它杀虫除病。

　　Staff at Badagong Mountain Administration treats insect attack for the old King of Chinese Dove Tree.

湖南壶瓶山国家级自然保护区：壶瓶山是第三纪动植物的避难所，以湖南省3‰的面积，保存了全省60%的生命基因。整个壶瓶山保护区内，分布有数千株珙桐。

　　Huping Mountain in Shimen county: Huping Mountain provides a well-conditioned refuge for animals and plants in the Tertiary period. In Huping Mountain area, there distribute thousands of Chinese dove trees.

张家界天门山国家森林公园：海拔1500多米的珙桐园内有一百多株鸽子花树。

　　Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie: At the altitude of over 1,500 meters in Tianmen Mountain, there grow more than 100 Chinese dove trees.

湖南省森林植物园：在长沙，唯一的珙桐被栽种在湖南省森林植物园内，只是很少有人知道它的所在。省植物园从八大公山、壶瓶山等地陆续引种珙桐，探索出珙桐在低海拔地区不开花和少开花结实的主要原因，创新了珙桐的就地嫁接培育加梯度引种法，珙桐嫁接与人工促花研究成果。

　　Hunan Forest Botanical Garden in Changsha: In Changsha, the Chinese dove tree is only planted in Hunan Forest Botanical Garden. The garden successively introduces Chinese dove tree species from Badagong Mountain, Huping Mountain, etc., and concludes reasons why the Chinese dove tree cannot or is fragile to bloom and seed in low-altitude areas. Finally, the garden researchers successfully develop the grafting and artificial flower promoting for Chinese dove trees in Changsha.

编译：张焕勤 据红网、湖南日报、新华网等综合整理