Visit Longling Xiaoheishan Provincial Nature Reserve where 11 Hoya species are found

Photo shows the Hoya lancilimba. (Photo/Liao Qinchang)

The inclusion of the Hoya gaoligongensis, a new species of Apocynaceae, into the recently published white paper on biodiversity conservation in China and the intensive media coverage of the species has drawn public attention to the plant recently.

As a matter of fact, there are 11 Hoya species that inhabit the Longling Xiaoheishan Provincial Nature Reserve, located in the southern region of Gaoligong Mountains, southwest China’s Yunnan province. Among them, one species is newly discovered, one species is endemic to Yunnan, and three species are newly recorded in China. Commonly used as ornamental plants, Hoyas are also of great importance in scientific and medical research.

Some Hoya species found in tropical Asian countries offer accommodation for and take root in ant colonies, which supply extra nutrients for the plants to grow when the ants nest and accumulate food stores, spreading the seeds of the Hoya plants, and driving away pests that might threaten the survival of the plants, according to Zhao Mingxu, a senior engineer with the Kunming Prospecting and Designing Institute under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.