Rare tree blooms for first time in Hunan garden

The plant has an extremely low natural germination rate of less than 2 percent, and its seeds can remain dormant for one to two years. Its narrow distribution range and specific habitat requirements have made natural regeneration exceedingly difficult, researchers at the garden explained.

Discovered in 1981 in Huping Mountain, Shimen county of Hunan province, the species was later classified into its own genus, meaning it has no close relatives anywhere else in the world. This unique evolutionary status makes it invaluable for scientific research, serving as a key to understanding the phylogenetic development of the Styracaceae family.