New species of orchid found on Beijing mountain

An unusual flower found on Yudu Mountain in northwestern Beijing's Yanqing district was identified as a new species of orchid in October.

Mu Xianyun, who found the wild orchid in August, said the international plant journal Phytotaxa published his research on Oct 24. He named the flower Holopogon pekinensis - a reference to Beijing. It is the third species in its family found in China, and one of only seven globally.

Mu, an associate professor at Beijing Forestry University, found the plant by chance when he was surveying for another precious orchid on Yudu Mountain at the end of August.