Authorities find 3,000-year-old 'rare' yew tree in China

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Chinese authorities have found a rare yew tree which is believed to be about 3,000 years old in Jilin province.

The living tree, located in Huanggou Forest, is more than 40 metres tall and has a diameter of 1.68 metres, Xinhua news agency quoted Yang Yongsheng, head of the forest administration, as saying.

The tree was among the more than 30 Chinese yew trees discovered earlier this week in the forest.

Called a "living fossil" of the plant world, the Chinese yew has existed for 2.5 million years.

Since many of the trees have been harvested to extract taxol, used to treat cancer, the species is now under first-grade national protection for endangered plants.

(With IANS inputs)