Small-leaved White Wax Nature Reserve

Small-leaved White Wax Nature Reserve

The Small-leaved White Wax Nature Reserve is located on the banks of the Kash River in Yingawati Village, northern Samuyuzi Township, east of Yining County, Xinjiang. Covering an area of 6,000 mu, it features a 4-square-kilometer stand of small-leaved white wax trees growing on riverine shoals. It is the only concentrated wild distribution site of small-leaved white wax in China. The small-leaved white wax is a remnant broadleaf tree species from the Tertiary period, hailed as a “living fossil of broadleaf forests,” and is also known as “bitter elm” or “blue oak.” It belongs to the Oleaceae family and is a deciduous tree.