Yunnan azaleas grow to be billion-dollar business

Stretches of azaleas bloom in the mountains of Yunnan province from every spring to early summer. The breathtaking sight entitled Yunnan a famous homeland of azaleas. Globally, there are over 1140 varieties of rhododendrons, with China hosting more than 560 varieties. And Yunnan has 320 varieties, accounting for over half of the national total.

Cangshan mountain of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture is one of the areas in Yunnan where azaleas are concentrated. Seven unique varieties in Cangshan are now thriving after long-term evolution. As well as in the mountains of Jianchuan county, the over-3,000-meter altitude allows 19,502.85 acres (about 1300.19 ha) of azaleas to exist in various shapes and colors.

Moreover, Mt. Gaoligong, the beautiful and mysterious place, is home to 200 varieties of the flower. Scientists went there in 1982 and have found over 40 globally rare giant tree azaleas. And the eldest one is over 630 years old. It is the largest of its kind in the world, and is praised as the King of giant tree azalea.

The azaleas present folk culture in some parts of Yunnan. Mayinghua, wild azalea, is of sacred meaning to Yi people. The embroidered pattern of it is one of the most common patterns in the traditional costumes of Yi women in Yongren county of Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture.

When the annual Saizhuang festival, costume competition festival for Yi comes, Yi women will wear their hand-made embroidered clothing with such patters to compete, showcasing the beauty of their costumes on the world’s oldest rural T-stage show.

In recent years, high-mountain azalea gained popularity, as they can be grown potted at home. At the annual flower markets, potted Guifei high-mountain azalea with a crown width of 60 centimeters are priced as high as a thousand yuan. Thus, the industry of potted azalea has great potential.

However, it also faces challenges such as concentrated flowering periods and limited varieties.

In order to advance breeding and selection of new varieties to give high-mountain azalea a steady position in the flower market, the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Floriculture established a high mountain rhododendron research and development team in 2011.

By the end of 2023, the team had applied for 20 new national varieties and cultivated 12 high mountain varieties with independent intellectual property rights. The development have brought the flower to the world level.

After a decade’s effort, 11 prefectures and cities in Yunnan are now producing potted azaleas. The “Billion Yuan Yunnan Flower” industry is developing fast. The potted azalea is expected to lead the charge.

Source: Xuexi.cn; trans-editing by Wang Yunya