Rare hemlock population discovered in Vietnam's Lào Cai province
On the morning of 20 September, Ngô Kiên Trung, head of the management board of Bát Xát Nature Reserve in Lào Cai province in northern Vietnam, said the reserve had just discovered a population of rare hemlock trees (thiết sam) in Sub-compartment 62 of the protected area.
The discovery was made during a forest patrol combined with field surveys aimed at proposing conservation measures for endangered, rare species at high risk of disturbance. In Sub-compartment 62, in the former Dền Sáng commune (former Bát Xát district), the reserve's management board found a population of rare hemlock trees, a species found only in Lào Cai and a few other northern provinces, where very few individuals remain.
The hemlock population of more than 100 trees in Sub-compartment 62, at an elevation of 1,800-2,000 m, in Bát Xát Nature Reserve.
The hemlock population is concentrated over an area of about 150 hectares, with more than 100 trees measuring 0.8 to over 1 m in diameter, along with many small and regenerating trees, at elevations of 1,800 m to 2,000 m above sea level. The hemlock is one of Vietnam's 33 conifer species and is listed as threatened with extinction at both the national and international levels.
In Lào Cai, hemlock had previously been known only from Hoàng Liên National Park, where it occurs as scattered individuals and young trees. In Bát Xát Nature Reserve, by contrast, the population consists of large trees in a concentrated, intact stand, making it valuable for scientific research and for conserving and developing a rare genetic resource. Trung added that the management board will soon propose a project titled "Conservation and development of rare genetic resources and protection of the biodiversity of the hemlock species" at the site.
Bát Xát Nature Reserve is regarded by Vietnamese and international scientists as one of the areas of highest biodiversity value, home to many rare animal and plant species. More than 940 species of higher vascular plants and 157 species of terrestrial vertebrates have been recorded there, including 38 plant species listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book, five species on the IUCN Red List, one newly discovered plant species, 22 animal species in Vietnam's Red Data Book, 13 animal species on the IUCN Red List, 20 species listed under Decree 32/2006/NĐ-CP, and six endemic animal species.
Strange sight: peach tree blossoms at the start of autumn
Peaches aren't alone: many crops are flowering and fruiting out of season, a sign that weather and climate are changing ever more visibly.
Long-headed lanternfly genus recorded in Vietnam for the first time
Only three species of this long-headed lanternfly genus are known worldwide. In Vietnam, specimens were collected in Huế and Đà Nẵng.
Delightful lotus variety that blooms with hundreds of petals
A large lotus variety with hundreds, even 1,000, petals grown by an enthusiast in central Vietnam is drawing the attention of lotus lovers.
Vietnamese scientists describe a new plant species from central Vietnam
Phytotaxa has published Phyllagathis phamhoangii, a new pink-flowered plant species found on damp rock faces in Quảng Nam, central Vietnam.
The black orchid queens of the deep forest
Vietnam is home to more than 1,000 orchid species, including a few rare ones whose flowers are jet black or blackish purple.
The strange world of orchids
Orchids are famed for their elegance, but some species look like monkey faces or smell of rotting meat to attract insects.
