Ancient Trees, Dwindling in the Wild, Thrive on Sacred Ground
By Jacey Fortin
New York Times
June 4, 2025
Buddhist temples in China are home to trees from dozens of endangered species, a new study shows. Some of them are almost 2,000 years old.
The Putuo hornbeam, a hardy tree that thrives in the damp air by the East China Sea, could be easily overlooked by visitors to the Huiji Temple on an island in the Zhejiang Province.
The tree has an unremarkable appearance: spotty bark, small stature and serrated leaves with veins as neatly spaced as notebook lines. But its status is singular. As far as conservationists can tell, no other mature specimen of its species is alive in the wild.