The southern and tropical southeastern regions of Yunnan Province, the beginning of the Tea Horse Road in southwestern China, have similar monsoonal climates and lowland tropical rain forest vegetations and this is where you will find the greatest concentration of flora in China.
Yunnan, in southwestern China, is of immense interest to biologists not only because it is situated in a transitional zone between tropical south-east Asia and temperate east Asia, but also because it was at the junction between Gondwana and Laurasia. The origin and evolution of the Yunnan flora were largely influenced by the uplift of the Himalayas, the formation of the east Asian monsoon climate and the extrusion of the Indochina block into tropical SE Asia in the later Tertiary period.
More than 9000 species are native to the province but just eight comprise the Famous Flowers of Yunnan.
More than 9000 species are native to the province but just eight comprise the Famous Flowers of Yunnan.
1. Camellia
The Yunnan Camellia also called Dian Camellia features tall plants, wide and thick leaves as well as big flowers. The camellia is one of the traditional flowers of China and is the city flower of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. It has been cultivated for over 1,000 years. As an oil-plant and stem resource for new grafting, it is now under state protection. There are more than 130 species of camellias in Yunnan. 
3. Primrose
There are more than 300 species of primrose in China, with more than half growing in Yunnan. Primula vulgaris is widespread native to western and southern Europe, from the Faroe Island and Norway south to Portugal, and east to Germany, Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Balkans, to Algeria in northwest Africa, and southwest Asia from Turkey east to Iran. The primrose is one of the earliest spring flowers in much of Europe. “Primrose” is ultimately from Old French primerose or medieval Latin prima rosa, meaning “first rose”, though unrelated to the rose family Rosaceae. 
5. Lily
There are more than 40 species of lilies in Yunnan. The lily has a long flowering season, a wide range of colours and of course it has a magnificent fragrance. The lily can be grown in pots or planted in the garden. In modern society, the lily is one of the favourite flowers. While most lilies have one to four flowers per stem the Yunnan Dali Lily, can have as many as 30-40. 
7. Orchid
The fragrance of orchid is clear and mellow and known as “The First Fragrance in China”. There are more than 20 species of orchid plants in China with Yunnan boasting all of them. |
2. Azalea
Locals have various nicknames for azaleas and rhododendrons: mayinghua, yingshanhong or manshanhong are just a few names for the beautiful flowers that carpet the mountains and valleys. Bright red is not azaleas’ only colour, a fact which is particularly true in Yunnan. Azaleas are naturally distributed in the temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. There are 800 species in the world, more than 600 species in China with nearly 300 species in Yunnan alone, producing an enormous variety of colours. 
4. Gentian
There are more than 800 species in the world, 200 species in China and more than 100 species in Yunnan. When a dark blue gentian from Lijiang in Yunnan Province was introduced to the Royal Botanical Garden in Britain, it was at once a sensation and was regarded as one of the most valuable ornamental plants introduced in the 19th century. 
6. Magnolia
In Spring, Magnolia or Yulan, which blooms at the same time as camellia, is an indispensable ornamental plant in Yunnan courtyards. There are 41 species of what was once called Michelia in China, all of which have been included into the genus Magnolia, and 23 of these grow in Yunnan. Some are two hundred years old and grow at altitudes as high as 9000 feet, far higher than other varieties of magnolias can survive. 
8. Meconopsis
There are 49 species in the world, and China has 38 of them, 17 of which are fund only in Yunnan. With gorgeous floral colour, Meconopsis is loved for its beauty. Northwest Yunnan, with its high mountains and deep valleys, provides the ideal environment for Meconopsis. |
