The most beautiful ancient tree in China, the flowers are white as snow when they fall and are used to make a very rare tea.

Every April, the Kongwangshan Scenic Area in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, China, is bustling with visitors. The most attractive highlight is the ancient tree with an age of over 830 years, blooming snow-white flowers in the middle of the yard.

The lotus flower blooms like white snow in April ( Video : Sleepy Garden).

It is a salvia with clusters of flowers that bloom densely, just like snowflakes. Because it blooms in April every year, tourists still call it "April snow". This plant is on the national protection list in China.

At the Kongwangshan scenic area, the 10m tall, 30cm diameter Liusu tree was planted during the Southern Song Dynasty. Locals also consider it a "lucky tree" because it attracts many visitors from all over the world to admire it, bringing in tourism revenue.

Ancient documents show that the monks in Longdong nunnery planted the tree themselves during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Despite many historical events, the tree still stands firm, considered a "living witness" to many changes in Chinese society.

In 2018, the tree was honored as "the most beautiful ancient tree in China", and was the only tree in Jiangsu province to be selected.

"When the flowers bloom, the petals are long and thin like glutinous rice, and are pure white. The flowers can be used to make tea, so people also call them glutinous rice tea trees," said Mr. Ying Qiao, the person in charge of the Kongwangshan scenic area.

Although it is nearly 900 years old, the tree blooms very regularly. Every April, the flowers will bloom. The flowering period is very short, only lasting about 2 weeks. That is also the time when many visitors from all over come to admire and take pictures.

To protect the rare ancient tree, local authorities strictly prohibit visitors from picking its leaves and flowers. By early May, the flowers will naturally fall to the ground.

At that time, the monks at Longdong Nunnery would collect the petals that fell on the yard, process them, and infuse them into fragrant tea. This rare flower tea was not sold on the market, so it was difficult to buy it.

Source: https://danviet.vn/cay-co-thu-dep-nhat-trung-quoc-hoa-trang-muot-nhu-tuyet-khi-rung-dem-uop-ra-loai-tra-rat-quy-hiem-20210814152746842.htm