Panzhihua Cycad Nature Reserve

Panzhihua Cycad Nature Reserve

Introduction to the Panzhihua Cycad Nature Reserve Located on the Fengjialiangzi area along the western bank of the Baguan River in the western district of Panzhihua City, at an altitude of around 2,000 meters, lies a highly precious natural cycad forest.

Cycads, also known as "iron trees," first appeared on Earth approximately 280 million years ago during the Permian period of the Paleozoic era. They have withstood the test of time, flourishing and declining through various geological eras. The surviving cycad species now belong to just one family, ten genera, and about 110 species in total, earning them the title of "living fossils" of the plant kingdom. In 1971, during a vegetation survey conducted by the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the former Panzhihua Aerial Seeding Forest Farm, a cycad forest covering over 300 hectares and home to more than 100,000 individual plants was discovered. To date, it is the highest-latitude, largest-area, most-numerous, and most-concentrated primitive cycad forest ever found in the world. Upon identification, it was confirmed to be a rare new species of cycad, officially named the "Panzhihua Cycad." International cycad expert Turner, after visiting the site, exclaimed: "This is a treasure of China and of the world!" Cycads are renowned ornamental trees for gardens and hold significant aesthetic value.

Sichuan, Panzhihua