Flora of China

The peach (Prunus persica) is a deciduous tree that bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics. Most are simply called peaches, while the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties are called nectarines. Though from the same species, they are regarded commercially as different fruits. The tree is regarded as handsome and is planted in gardens for its springtime blooms in addition to fruit production. It is relatively short lived, usually not exceeding twenty years of age. Peaches were first domesticated and cultivated in China during the Neolithic period. The specific name persica refers

A mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata), often simply called mandarin, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. The mandarin is small and oblate, unlike the roughly spherical sweet orange (which is a mandarin-pomelo hybrid). The taste is sweeter and stronger than the common orange. A ripe mandarin orange is firm to slightly soft, heavy for its size, and pebbly-skinned. The peel is thin and loose, with little white mesocarp, so they are usually easier to peel and to split into segments. Hybrids have these traits

Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo ( GINK-oh, -⁠goh), also known as the maidenhair tree, and often misspelled "gingko" (see Etymology below) is a species of gymnosperm tree native to East Asia. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils similar to the living species, belonging to the genus Ginkgo, extend back to the Middle Jurassic epoch about 170 million years ago. The tree was cultivated early in human history, remains commonly planted, and is widely regarded as a living fossil. G. biloba is a long-lived,

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, Chinese: 枇杷; Pinyin: pípá) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange coloured fruits. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. The loquat is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Amygdaloideae, tribe Maleae. It is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China. It has been introduced to regions with subtropical to mild temperate climates throughout the world. Eriobotrya japonica formerly was thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar, which is the

Amorphophallus konjac, commonly known as moyu (Chinese: 魔芋; pinyin: móyù, lit. 'demonic taro', 'magical taro'), juruo (Chinese: 蒟蒻; pinyin: jǔruò), konnyaku, or konjac is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae. In English, it is also referred to as devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam. Native to China and cultivated in East and Southeast Asia, the perennial species forms a corm, the stem of which produces a purplish flower. Food made from the corm is known as móyù (Chinese: 魔芋), a term that also refers to the plant itself, and as konnyaku in Japanese. It can be

Ginkgo is a genus of non-flowering seed plants, assigned to the gymnosperms. The scientific name is also used as the English common name. The order to which the genus belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and Ginkgo is now the only living genus within the order. The rate of evolution within the genus has been slow, and almost all its species had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene. The sole surviving species, Ginkgo biloba, is found in the wild only in China, but is cultivated around the world. The relationships between ginkgos and other groups of

Pseudolarix amabilis is a species of coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. The species is commonly known as golden larch, but being more closely related to Keteleeria, Abies and Cedrus, is not a true larch (Larix). P. amabilis is native to eastern China, occurring in small areas in the mountains of southern Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and eastern Sichuan, at altitudes of 100–1,500 m (328–4,921 ft). The earliest known occurrences are of compression fossils found in the Ypresian Allenby Formation and mummified fossils found in the Late Eocene Buchanan Lake Formation on

Paeonia × suffruticosa is a group of tree peony cultivars that are the result of hybridization with peony species exclusively belonging to the subsection Vaginatae. The common name used in China is mǔdān (Chinese: 牡丹) or Moutan peony. Cultivars of this group have been cultivated in Chinese floriculture for millennia, initially only as a source of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly for the skin of their roots (牡丹皮; mǔdān pí). Already early on, the plant was also cultivated for its ornamental value, and it is highly revered in Chinese culture. Paeonia × suffruticosa is a perennial

Chrysanthemum × morifolium (also known in the US as florist's daisy, fuji mum and hardy garden mum) is a hybrid species of perennial plant in the genus Chrysanthemum of the family Asteraceae.

Abies beshanzuensis (Baishanzu fir, Baishan fir) is a species of fir (genus Abies) in the family Pinaceae. It is endemic to Mt. Baishanzu in southern Zhejiang province in eastern China, where it grows at 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) altitude and is threatened by collection and climate change. The site is within the Fengyangshan – Baishanzu National Nature Reserve. Abies beshanzuensis is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. It was discovered in 1963 on the summit of Baishanzu Shan (1,857 m), where only seven trees were found. Three of these were dug up and moved to Beijing

Magnolia × soulangeana (Magnolia denudata × Magnolia liliiflora), the saucer magnolia or sometimes the tulip tree, is a hybrid flowering plant in the genus Magnolia and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple. It is one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture, being widely planted in the British Isles, especially in the south of England; and in the United States, especially the east and west coasts.

Abies ziyuanensis is a species of fir, a conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is only known from four locations in Guangxi and Hunan provinces in China. A. ziyuanensis is related to Abies beshanzuensis, another threatened fir endemic to China. While the population was in the thousands as recently as the 1970s, there are now thought to be less than 600 trees in existence.

Pilea peperomioides, the Chinese money plant, UFO plant, pancake plant, lefse plant or missionary plant, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southern China.

Abies yuanbaoshanensis is a species of fir tree in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in the Yuanbao Mountains within Guangxi province of China. It is a critically endangered species. It is estimated that only 700 trees exist, including saplings

Abies fanjingshanensis is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in China, on Fanjing Mountain in Guizhou Province. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Pinus squamata, the Qiaojia pine (zh: 巧家五针松) or southern lacebark pine, is a critically endangered pine native to a single locality consisting of about 20 trees in Qiaojia County, northeast Yunnan, China, at about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) elevation. The Qiaojia pine was discovered in April 1991 by Pangzhao J.Q. It was studied later that year and described the following year by Li Xiang-Wang. It shows similarities to Rzedowski's Pinyon and some other pinyon pines.

Cupressus chengiana is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. The tree is endemic to China, found only in Gansu and Sichuan Provinces.

Primula florindae, the Tibetan cowslip or giant cowslip, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is native to southeastern Tibet, where it grows in huge numbers close to rivers such as the Tsangpo. It is a substantial herbaceous perennial growing to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 90 cm (35 in) wide. In summer the flower stalks rise from basal rosettes of 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long leaves. They bear clusters of 20–40 yellow, pendent, bell-like, delicately scented flowers with a mealy white bloom. The plant was first collected for western horticulture in 1924 by the British botanist

Picea retroflexa, the Tapao Shan spruce, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is endemic to China, growing in West Sichuan, Kangding, Jiuzhaigou (Zheduo Shan), Qinghai, and Ban Ma Xian. Its limited habitat is threatened by habitat loss due to logging, fires, and grazing.

Magnolia delavayi is a species of flowering plant in the genus Magnolia. It is known by the common names of Chinese evergreen magnolia or Delavay's magnolia. It was named after Father Delavay, French Catholic missionary in China, who collected it.

Larix mastersiana is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in China. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Corylus chinensis, common names Chinese filbert and Chinese hazel, is a deciduous tree native to western China. This tree is considered vulnerable due to its rarity.

Thuja sutchuenensis, the Sichuan thuja, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It is native to China, where it is an endangered local endemic in Chengkou County (Chongqing Municipality, formerly part of Sichuan province), on the southern slope of the Daba Mountains.

Meconopsis betonicifolia (syn. Meconopsis baileyi), the Himalayan blue poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It was first formally named for western science in 1912 by the British officer Lt. Col. Frederick Marshman Bailey. Meconopsis betonicifolia is hardy in most of the United Kingdom and it has striking large blue flowers. This herbaceous perennial is often short-lived.

Lilium regale, called the regal lily, royal lily, king's lily,or, in New Zealand, the Christmas lily, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, with trumpet-shaped flowers. It is native to the western part of Sichuan Province in southwestern China, and cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental. It was introduced to England in 1903 by Ernest Henry Wilson.

Torreya jackii (Chinese: 长叶榧树; pinyin: fěishù; lit. 'longleaf torreya') is a species of conifer in the family Taxaceae. Common names include Jack's nutmeg tree, longleaf torreya, Jack torreya, and weeping torreya. It is endemic to eastern China, in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. It can be up to 12 metres (39 ft) tall. It is threatened by habitat loss and logging.

Magnolia cylindrica, the Huangshan magnolia (named for Mount Huang, where it can be found naturally), is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is endemic to southeastern China (Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian). It is threatened by habitat loss.

Magnolia amoena (common name Tianmu magnolia, so called from Tianmu Mountain where it grows) is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is endemic to China. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Camellia reticulata (syn. C. heterophylla) is a species of flowering plant in the tea family Theaceae, native to southwestern China, in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. It is a loosely branched shrub or small tree, which can grow up to 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 ft) in height. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 5–11 centimetres (2.0–4.3 in) long and 4–5.5 centimetres (1.6–2.2 in) wide. The flowers are 7–10 centimetres (2.8–3.9 in) in diameter, or larger in some cultivars, soft-pink to deep-pink and rarely almost white, with 5–7 petals or more in some cultivars, and are produced in

Berberis gagnepainii, or Gagnepain's barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, first described in 1908. It is endemic to China, known from Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan Provinces. Berberis gagnepainii is a shrub up to 2 m tall. The leaves are evergreen, simple, lanceolate to elliptical, toothed, the teeth tipped with short spines. The leaves and flowers are borne on short shoots in the axils of 3-parted spines. The inflorescence is a fascicle of 2-15 yellow flowers. The berries are glaucous (waxy), dark blue-black and oblong. Its habitats include montane