China's second national botanical garden unveiled in Guangdong

(ECNS) -- The South China National Botanical Garden was inaugurated at an unveiling ceremony on Monday in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, aiming to play an important role in protecting plant diversity in the country.

It's China's second national botanical garden after the China National Botanical Garden that opened in Beijing in April.

With Beijing located in a temperate zone and Guangzhou in a subtropical zone, the gardens will complement one another. China's national botanical garden system will help protect rare plants and ensure diversity, according to a statement released by the garden in Guangzhou on Monday.

China is among the countries with the richest plant diversity, with more than 37,000 species of known higher plants, which account for about 10 percent of the global total, the statement said.

The planning area of South China National Botanical Garden is more than 319 hectares. The new garden is an expansion of the former South China Botanical Garden, located in the eastern suburbs of Guangzhou.

The garden has a conservation exhibition area of 283 hectares and is the largest subtropical botanical garden in China.

It is home to 38 special gardens, including magnolia, palm, ginger and orchid gardens, and about 17,000 plants being conserved outside of their natural habitats.