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King of the Azalea in the World
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Traditionally, the azalea is one of
the ten most famous flowers in China. This beautiful flower
can be found throughout the county. Of more than 800 varieties
of azaleas, over 600 kinds have been found in China, which
is the original birthplace of azaleas. Azaleas grow compactly
in Yunnan, for more than 300 species have been found in
this province. Usually, the azalea is a shrub or small arbor
of one or two meters tall. However, in the Gaoligong Mountains
of Tengchong, the azalea has a height of several dozens
of zhang (about 3 meters), and produces countless blooms.
Therefore, it is called "the Giant Azalea". In
February of 1981, in the virgin forest of the Gaoligong
Mountains in Tengchong, Chinese scientists found a group
of the tallest and biggest azaleas. The biggest one, with
a height of 25 meters and a diameter of 3.07 meters at its
foot, is over 500 years old, known as "the King of
the Azalea in the World". "The Giant Azalea"
is now under national protection.
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