CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Recently, the reporter saw a towering diospyros armata - the national second-level rare and protected plant in Hetao Village of Tianguan Township, Youyang, Chongqing. It branches into 12 branches, and looks like a forest afar, forming a huge umbrella, which is quite peculiar.

Diospyros armata (Photographed by Ran Chuan, Xiong Feng, Yang Ran)

According to local villagers, this is an old tree, whose trunk is more than 2 meters in diameter and more than 30 meters high. Because of the fence repair, the trunk is partially buried in the soil, and we can only see the branches growing on the trunk. Surprisingly, the trunk is naturally branched into 12 branches of different sizes and basically identical height at a distance of only 10 cm from the ground. The 12 branches grow well, with lush branches and leaves. The largest diameter at breast height is more than 0.4 meters. The tree looks like a forest afar.

Diospyros armata (Photographed by Ran Chuan, Xiong Feng, Yang Ran)

According to the person in charge of the County Forestry Bureau, this tree is the largest diospyros armata found in Youyang County, and has been protected by the local forestry department.

Diospyros armata (Photographed by Ran Chuan, Xiong Feng, Yang Ran)

(Translated by Bai Fengling, Fathom Language Limited)