Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of Begonia in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

In a study published in New Phytologist, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) tried to resolve the water and nutrient relations in mistletoes compared with their hosts.The researchers found that mistletoe nutrient concentrations mainly depend on host nutrients, but other factors, such as environmental conditions, host life-history classification and mistletoe morphological traits also play important roles for some nutrients.

As human and elephant habitats increasingly overlap, conflict between the two species is becoming more and more fierce. This is not only a challenge faced by many countries where wild elephants live, but also a microcosm of the international conflict between biodiversity conservation and economic and social development.

Researchers in China have verified Pueraria omeiensis as a new species of legumes, according to a paper published in biodiversity journal Taiwania on Wednesday.

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) fosters more than 13,000 species of plants in its 35 living collections. The garden has developed into one of the biggest tropical botanical gardens in China and across Asia.