(ECNS) -- Alsophila costularis is a national protected plant of level II in China.
The plant resembles a round basket or plate from above, and a giant umbrella from the ground.
It's widely distributed in Mojiang County of Pu'er City in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The plant is given the name "living fossil" due to its Jurassic origins.
It has important research value for speciation and geological distribution.
The local government established a provincial nature reserve here in Mojiang County.
The number and distribution of the plant inside the reserve witnessed a significant increase in the past two decades.
There are over 100,000 alsophila costularis so far, with a maximum distribution of over 150 per hectare.
