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We had a pretty tight schedule this morning, with just enough time to do a tour of the research end of the botanical garden before driving to Jinghong for a flight to Kunming.
It was very misty at this hour in the morning, and the lighting was very dim. It did cast a mystical aura to the garden, which was very lovely.
The research area of the garden is across the river and is accessible via a foot bridge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9g9bFlFPxtb9TnKfoEsPvqKphhGceGGup1UkxRdHI-hyOQJefxLL5zl4Vxj7g_RvcCOQHIEYfFZgWQmJMZP2G-SJwq2JM2a5oN5uEUqD7-fc5uJwAVpSAgN4P0Ia40ii7hFWfYQ/s320/312.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
It was very still and the sound of birds was all around. The mist made it impossible to find the birds in the canopy, but I enjoyed hearing them sing.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIwKaiVm-TV_QaqN4woiRJ_eTTFbProwxcvJ356He-NAHzFO3ePUSC6ZWtgz2AhuC6lmPcEXCBbIk_y8-XIk8fDSR5LI_iMNEMHpBRkJ3ipoL3d4w9yXBwQGI977Ppc0SN9JitQ/s320/313.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Now, that's a huge strangler fig. The original host tree must have been humongous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVTztmINnLrFRJnp55l3xjWmyIXQA0MKtFK94JTXKiQifpcorqoX8fL9aEhWn5FiumyT1upa0eduO3f3pdoMUEjPkFUTkeNV7h2HdCQKGIRaK1xdZTE-RxlBaWna1m1GSQGBkUw/s320/318.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Here's YQ to give a sense of scale at the base of that strangler fig.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fdWkfmD8b1ziirNR5xefUR6g5RljZV0XchwCSvltpYM13B-NzLnN4Q5IgUzecElvOvbB-aa3RPoy54AYbT9gsnnG5sgpPGJAJnUpaVWgAXlmogVwBP99pRZRkYtHnp5HWc6mCw/s320/322.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Speaking of figs, here's a pollination ecology experiment underway.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje76mUk-2tZfHoWFfFASJmYekQl7VsRTvjOubW9se7Td2ZN5Ac3DLNyqJJB-BpA-0CFEMgLl_07P_X0iQc8vVmHCeZu92txWXNEYryOXx57yTVy5WoKbfuUGDfD_TZWXK6BT6aUA/s320/326.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Here's another grand tree in the research preserve.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfTfBKVfixD7T3mje2aLy4iedC8qKvkO8FdhNgXkN6yxHrVGH3-TLdaOt9iPlfwo-QeCoyyq2HiC5NNBEFGEgTAdP_uJCX12Xcgm9uw09gLmg_5NtE1_-Y3wI1x0-tazt6GrUQA/s320/327.andi.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
I'll give a sense of scale at the base this time.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbJSpGGCDBVAALW-6le0nY1qHd2En5w7Qtpsx0xtzKW4wWn0v3BZR_mhzuQv2jrsWlX-ShBWQFE6Bu9kywzfTwX9UBfmrwOrpQwLIubMvXLLksWg69q19jjp3x4YScX1e7Of2rg/s320/328.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Here's our group: L to R - Sean Graham (University of British Columbia), me (Ohio State University), Jim Doyle (University of California, Davis), and YQ (Yin-Long Qiu, University of Michigan).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pOsP893IggIoTrNCcSk25wWXdVdpklORN5w5r70wahWodFmC-M3U39ABEX17JHl_iql1Zc6rjHiogZ1QL9LsK9cQqgc606oeDwgynZIJOMi0xlQJFLhuN-nMorcSCq7XRRxKBA/s320/329.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
You need to click on the picture to fully appreciate the signage.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY41btC2GfqUqGtj5jJzMLYc_w205taJJ-RQJj7EqAtGm0srIIFfE3MrVrgt4UpaUuDqwvcwEO36eKm7Ojs7vWIqIXaQy0RCVFElebuXrEhF1H84MCKuLV55WMWuZd_DtWDbSqg/s320/334.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
I loved the vein patterns of this leaf. This is one of the early patterns for flowering plants.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCh3G5HHqxm0aMb7__OCAsUo6cwmVpGZ55dfBuYkk502xSX45Yzl7mgIAjtF5o-OURT_KSbdrgTooeqA4yHsicnr2zwEGFsIIzTB_F99Etfs12SJl3ykEZUkWn0rMj4SSYarzOg/s320/338.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
The last stop before catching a ride to the airport was the area where cultivars of economically important plants are being assessed. There was a grove of rubber trees and I found it interesting to see how the bark is scored for latex collection.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5tqpTQ4OLhB1MwlSbloEJdnXnaqDQB-DDqfAypXKvr-_99tJk18yYj3kRS7QhJpVki921mCMrDvkbweIgkv4GC_BJVw9vq4Imvr4JHNKbGdnUjctgCc6r5dVPawA5hpczyKsnw/s320/342.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Camelia sinensis - i.e., tea plants. The ones in the plantations tend to be short shrubs that are easy to harvest. I'm not sure what traits were under consideration with these plants.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZVXNs5e_DB_uY0sn3Y4BrLfYqX4CJrFiJQxChLqQnlkc0nFuIZSJkHpN4sx2EzDhGaJK63Jo-iyjuOlAPFZvsXEIyPfNDVY7OkkbKDwvAhLg7Rji4Fh6Sap0nVEEhvdzOzrNqQ/s320/346.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Coffea arabica - my favorite source of caffeine.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWtp_wUwE99Pf3if4p5OqRAvPm1eYZszBQpfq-30lOnvrWSRbcxPH60DA5ru3ZZT7ApsKQtUYx-lWzMMuVI-Ng5mu5652ume6ProOhCNlO2QcGmkxLOLrwsVS68XdrcPEny_GgA/s320/347.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
These fruits aren't ripe, but it's cool to see where coffee beans originate.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7pbLiifWasqxP1syXCJ1opza7J7og4UxwhZauZZxCZodb5vLGGVL7ucAD4MY-gPGyj_NaOHFrhhug8K3Z-VHtB7L6noRj0WfNdp25QptQdthpyr-PGbRQcV8BTFegFS2xvJdgg/s320/348.xtbg.research+reserve.jpg.jpg)
Last view of the XTBG - a grove of rubber trees in the mist. It was a very nice visit, and I enjoyed the introduction to tropical China during this part of my trip.
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