Is Drynaria fortunei a national second-class protected plant?
Rhododendron drynaria is not only a national second-class protected plant, but also may be toxic.
Dried flowers are very popular recently. When they were bought back, they were just bare dry branches. If they are kept in clean water for a few days, they can produce delicate flowers with a long flowering period, which is very suitable for people who can't grow flowers but like to enjoy beautiful flowers at home.
Recently, a video posted on the official WeChat account, a scientific rumor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reminded everyone to be careful when buying dried flowers, and not to buy that kind of dried rhododendron. This plant, formerly known as Rhododendron Xing 'an, has beautiful pink and purple flowers, but it is a national second-class protected plant. It may be illegal to buy it in an unusual way.
Rhododendrons on the market are generally wild rhododendrons in Xing 'an, mostly growing in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia. They are called Yingshanhong by local people and widely sung as "Jindalai" in Korean songs.
The growth process of rhododendron is very slow, and it can only grow 10 cm a year. It usually takes five or six years from sowing to flowering in the first year. A Rhododendron Xing 'an with luxuriant foliage and a height of 1.5 meters may have been growing for twenty or thirty years. They begin to breed flower buds and leaf buds in autumn to prepare for the next year's flowering. At this time, if you prune a lot of branches, you are actually pruning branches with rhododendron buds. These branches will indeed blossom under suitable temperature and humidity, but if they are separated from the main branches, they will not bear seeds and will be sold to customers to take home for flower arrangement. Usually the end result is to throw flowers into the trash can after failure. In this way, the cuckoo, which could have grown for decades, consumed all the nutrients in just ten days, and then ended its own life.
This is a devastating disaster for the slow-growing azaleas.
Today, Rhododendron Xing 'an has been included in the national second-class protected plant list. Although researchers have done a lot of research work in sowing, cutting and transplanting, almost all the branches on the market come from the wild, and artificial cultivation still can't meet the market demand.
Why did it become a national second-class protected plant?
Rhododendron is a kind of wild plant, which grows in the natural environment of "empty valley and orchid" like wild orchids. Because it has the characteristics of dormancy in autumn and winter and flowering in spring, its meaning of "dead wood meets spring" coincides with the beautiful meaning of welcoming spring when dry cut flowers such as silver willow and wintersweet are cultivated, but it has been discovered by some unscrupulous traders and evolved into the form of dry cut flowers to enter the market, and it has been out of control ever since. Because it comes from the wild environment, it can be sent to all parts of the country by artificial cutting, simple pruning and a logistics fee, so its price is cheaper than those varieties that need artificial cultivation, such as silver willow, wintersweet and snow willow, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "cheap as firewood".
Rhododendron dahuricum grows in harsh cold environment, and its branch growth and natural reproduction are very slow. With a large number of branches being secretly cut down, the original harmonious ecological environment has been seriously damaged. In many areas, the original flourishing Rhododendron Hinggan leaves only dry roots and old branches, and the flowering period is gone forever!
According to relevant laws, "those who illegally cut and destroy plants under special state protection in precious trees or other countries, or illegally purchase, transport, process and sell plants under special state protection in precious trees and their products, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or control, and shall also be fined; If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years and fined. "
In order to form an online and offline "full-chain attack" on illegal mining and trading of wild Rhododendron Xing 'an, consumers should enhance their legal awareness, not only not to illegally buy wild Rhododendron Xing 'an themselves, but also to report to the platform and relevant departments in time once a merchant is found to be selling it.