Critically endangered tree discovered in Yunnan

A critically endangered wild tree species, Itoa orientalis var. glabrescens, also known as the Glabrous Itoa, has been discovered in Yunnan province.

The Fengqing management branch of the Lancang River Provincial Nature Reserve in Lincang found the species during routine biodiversity monitoring in evergreen broad-leaved forests at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. Follow-up surveys identified three distribution sites within the reserve, where more than 100 individual trees have been recorded. The tallest specimen measures nearly 30 meters tall with a trunk circumference of almost one meter.