A nearly one-thousand-year old cherry tree with 12 branches and the base (ground trunk) circumference reaching 4.56 meters was discovered recently by Professor Jiang Xiwang with Hubei Jianghan University at the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area in Aba, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Jiang said that the tree has been initially identified as a kind of “Cerasus polytricha”. “But the flowering period has already passed, so we will have to wait until next year to confirm the specific species,” said Jiang.
In addition to the giant cherry tree, Jiang Xiwang also discovered five wild cherry tree communities. Of these, the communities of wild cherry trees found on either side of the highway stretching from the scenic area’s Norinang Center Station to the Norinang Waterfall possess longevity genes and are over a hundred years old.
An official with the Aba Prefecture Forestry Bureau said that the administrative organization in Jiuzhaigou has been instructed to strengthen patrolling and protection efforts in relevant areas to preserve the biological resources and their habitat.
