Recently, the "national treasure" weighing hammer tree of Zhengzhou Botanical Garden has bloomed!

In the native garden of the garden, more than 5 weighing hammer tree branches are blooming, each side branch has 0~0 flower buds at the top, the dense white flowers of the tree are hanging on the branches like bells, each small flower is surrounded by five or six well-proportioned petals, small and exquisite, like a fairy wearing a white gauze skirt, and also like a white butterfly dancing in the trees. This fresh and elegant scenery is extremely rare even in the spring when the flowers are in full bloom.

As a national second-class protected endangered tree species, the distribution of the hammer tree in nature is extremely limited, and there are few hammer trees like the Botanical Garden in Zhengzhou's parks and squares.

As a deciduous small tree of the Benzoin family, the branches and leaves of the weighing hammer tree are luxuriant, gradually enter the full flowering period from 4 months in spring, the flowers of the tree are as white as snow, and in autumn, the fruits of a small weighing stone are adorned with branches, hanging upside down, which is quite wild. From the shape of the tree, the flowers to the fruits, the hammer tree is very recognizable, and has high ornamental, scientific and ecological value.

In the native garden, there are a few tassel trees and Xinjiang honeysuckle are blooming, these fresh and elegant "niche" flowers, with a strong local atmosphere, bring tourists a different beauty in the blooming spring.

Why is it called a Hammer Tree?

秤錘樹因果實酷似秤錘而得名。它的探索故事可以追溯到近百年前，在中國植物學史上具有標誌性、劃時代的意義。據記載，1927年，世界著名蕨類植物分類學家秦仁昌院士在南京幕府山發現並採集到其標本。一年之後，著名植物學家胡先騖先生基於標本發表了新屬——秤錘樹屬，依據果實特徵將其正式定名為秤錘樹。這是中國植物學家發表的第一個新屬，從此結束了長期以來由外國學者主導發表並命名中國植物的歷史，中國學者開始自己研究探索本國的植物新類群。