The Purple Paphiopedilum, rare as the giant panda in the plant world, has recently been unexpectedly discovered in Conghua, Guangzhou. According to exclusive news from the Yangcheng Evening News on December 14th, the national first-level protected wild plant, the Purple Paphiopedilum, was discovered for the first time in the Chenhedong Nature Reserve (the reserve) in Conghua, Guangdong.

According to the introduction, to establish a database to understand the situation, the professional technical team of the Chenhedong Nature Reserve has recently conducted a survey of plant resources in the area. During the investigation, the professional technical team was pleasantly surprised to discover a new record of orchid plants in the protection area, which was identified as the Purple Paphiopedilum after comparison. The newly discovered small colony of Purple Paphiopedilum is distributed along the stream in the valley under the forest, and one of them is about to bloom.

The Purple Paphiopedilum is a terrestrial plant of the Paphiopedilum family. It prefers a semi-shaded and moist environment and is commonly found in forested areas with rich humus and rocky soil or near streams at altitudes below 700 meters. Its root system is shallow. It is the only species in the genus Paphiopedilum in China that grows in acidic soil rather than alkaline soil formed by limestone. It is also the plant with the lowest distribution altitude in the genus Paphiopedilum in China.

The Purple Paphiopedilum has been listed in the List of First-class National Key Protected Wild Plants in China. It is also classified as a species prohibited from trade under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and categorized as Critically Endangered (CR) in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Chenhedong Nature Reserve is located in Lyutian town, Guangzhou City. It is one of the sources of the Liuxi River and the only provincial-level nature reserve in Guangzhou. The main protected objects are the water source conservation forest and the rare and endangered wildlife and plants in the Subtropical Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest Ecosystem.

In recent years, with the increasing efforts of Chenhedong Nature Reserve to protect ecological resources, more and more new records of orchid plants have been discovered. Data shows that the number of orchid plants in the reserve has increased from the original 29 species to 76 species, with an increase of 47 species. Among them, one first-class national key protected plant has been added, achieving a breakthrough from zero to one in national key protected plants.

Next, Chenhedong Nature Reserve will research on-site protection, relocation protection, and wild reintroduction, with a long-term survey to comprehensively enhance biodiversity conservation.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

保护级别等同大熊猫！广东从化陈禾洞省级自然保护区首次发现紫纹兜兰

被誉为植物界“大熊猫”的紫纹兜兰，最近在广州从化被意外发现了！羊城晚报记者12月14日获悉独家消息，广东从化陈禾洞省级自然保护区（以下简称“陈禾洞保护区”）发现国家一级重点保护野生植物——紫纹兜兰，为陈禾洞保护区首次发现。

据介绍，为摸清家底建立数据库，近段时间，陈禾洞保护区专业技术团队开展区内植物资源摸底调查。在调查中，专业技术团队惊喜地发现了一保护区新纪录兰科植物，经对比鉴定，为紫纹兜兰。此次新发现的紫纹兜兰小群落分布于林下溪谷溪流旁，其中一株正含苞待放。

紫纹兜兰，是兰科兜兰属地生植物，喜半阴湿润的生态环境，常生于海拔700米以下的林下腐殖质丰富多石之地或溪谷旁，根系较浅，是我国兜兰属里唯一一个生长在酸性土壤不生长在石灰岩碱性土壤的物种，也是我国兜兰属植物分布海拔最低的植物。

紫纹兜兰已列入国家Ⅰ级重点保护野生植物名录，《野生动植物濒危物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）附录Ⅰ禁止贸易的物种和《世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录》（IUCN）极危（Critically Endangered,CR）级别。

陈禾洞保护区位于广州市从化区吕田镇境内，是流溪河发源地之一，是广州市唯一一个省级自然保护区，主要保护对象为以亚热带季风常绿阔叶林生态系统为主体的水源涵养林和国家珍稀濒危野生动植物。

近年来，随着陈禾洞保护区不断加大对生态资源的保护力度，越来越多的新纪录兰科植物被发现。数据显示，陈禾洞保护区兰科植物从原记录的29种新增至76种，新增47种，其中新增国家一级重点保护植物1种，实现了国家一级重点保护植物零的突破。

接下来，陈禾洞保护区将开展就地保护、迁地保护、野外回归及长期监测等方面的研究，全面提升生物多样性保护水平。

文丨记者 张爱丽 通讯员 余佩琪
翻译丨白心怡