a Chinese taxus chinensis tree

The Chinese forestry bureau on Monday in Changsha confirmed the discovery of a taxus chinensis tree believed to be more than 1,300 years old.

It said the  tree 35 meters high, with  a diameter of 2.2 meters, was found during an ancient tree census in central China’s Hunan Province.

It said that the living tree is located in Shunhuangshan National Forest Park in Dong’an County in the city of Yongzhou.

The forestry bureau said there are two subtrees on both sides of the taxus chinensis, also known as a Chinese Yew, aged more than one-thousand-year old.

“All the three ancient trees have been well preserved by local villagers.”

The forestry bureau disclosed that the Taxus chinensis is an endangered plant which has existed for 2.5 million years.

It noted that it produces few seeds and survives only in warm, moist areas.

The forestry bureau said since large numbers of the tree have been felled to extract taxol, which is often used to treat cancer, the species is now under first-grade national protection for endangered plants.