Tales of triumph in quests to find rare flora

Since 2012, Zhou Xinxin has photographed over 16,000 plant species, more than anyone in China. Since last year, he has been expanding his botanical explorations beyond the country in an attempt to photograph more plant species than anyone in the world.

Zhou said he has had some interesting experiences during his quests to find plant species.

"I have too many stories with various plants," he said.

The following are stories he has shared involving three rare plants:

1. Cynomorium songaricum, found in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region

In June 2017, Zhou drove to the Alshaa region for one of his botanical excursions. On the last day of his trip, he decided to search for the Cynomorium songaricum, a parasitic plant that thrives at the roots of the Nitraria sibirica thorn. Despite hours of searching in its potential habitat, Zhou was unable to locate the plant, which is used as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine.

Determined not to give up, he resorted to alternative methods. Knocking on the door of a nearby Mongolian yurt, he explained his quest to a middle-aged man inside. To his surprise, the man shared Zhou's passion for photography and offered to assist him in finding the plant. The man explained that most of the plants growing outside of the reserve had already been harvested by local herdsmen.

Together, they navigated the desert in the man's off-road vehicle until they reached a fenced-off area that, according to the man, was part of a local nature reserve. The man called his friend to find a hidden key they could use to unlock the fence and enter the area.

In the protected area, Zhou finally spotted one of the elusive plants and took photos of it.