Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden

　　The garden houses over a thousand species of trees from more than forty countries around the world, divided into seven exhibition areas: tropical spice plants, tropical medicinal plants, tropical fruit trees, tropical oil plants, and tropical ornamental plants. It is a treasure trove of rare tropical trees worldwide and holds high ornamental value.

　　The Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden has developed six visitor zones: economic forest zone, palm zone, tropical fruit tree zone, spice and medicinal plant zone, ornamental flower and tree zone, and woody oil plant zone. A wide variety of rare and exotic plants are gathered here, creating a magnificent spectacle. The tropical fruit tree zone features the "king of tropical fruits" — the mango; the "queen of fruits" — the durian; and one of the world’s four famous nuts — the cashew. There is also the heart-shaped sapodilla, named for its resemblance to a human heart, and the rambutan with its spiky red skin. The egg fruit, with flesh resembling the color and texture of a boiled egg yolk, is also found here.

　　The economic forest zone of the Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden not only hosts famous timber species from around the world such as rosewood, mahogany, teak, sandalwood, and red sandalwood, but also includes locally native Hainan plants under national protection such as the endangered Vatica mangachapoi and Hopea hainanensis. There is even the extremely dense and hard ironwood, which sinks in water due to its high density.

　　The spice and medicinal plant zone boasts well-known aromatic plants such as ylang-ylang — known as the “king of flowers,” vanilla — hailed as the “king of food flavorings,” and one of the three great balsams, Tolu balsam, as well as cloves, cinnamon, and lemongrass.

　　The woody oil plant zone is home to many famous oil-producing plants such as oil palm, oil mangosteen, tea-oil camellia, and Malpighia glabra. The variety of medicinal plants is also abundant, including the world-renowned anti-cancer plants such as Cephalotaxus hainanensis and Maytenus hookeri, as well as commonly known plants like boat-fruited sterculia, nux vomica, and agarwood.

　　One of the proudest features of the Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden is its two towering antiaris toxicaria trees, so large that it takes two or three people to encircle their trunks. It is said to be the most poisonous plant in the world. Its milky-white, highly toxic resin and leaf sap can cause blood to clot instantly upon entering the bloodstream through a wound, leading to death. Even the smoke from burning this tree can cause blindness if it enters the eyes. Ancient Hainan Miao people often applied its poison to arrowheads for hunting and warfare.

　　Within the Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden, you can find breadfruit trees, sausage trees, monkeypod trees, and the aquatic “king of leaves” — the Victoria water lily — all with unique shapes. There are also 42 species of rare and endangered plants under national protection and over 500 varieties of tropical flowers. The Tropical Crops Research Institute Botanical Garden is a treasure trove of China’s tropical plant resources and a microcosm of the world’s tropical flora. Here, exotic flowers and rare trees thrive in vibrant abundance, making it one of the must-visit scenic spots in Danzhou, Hainan.