The most recent tree story workshop and recordings was a small gathering of passionate Tree enthusiasts at Ri Social café at CPI , Luxelakes. We don’t often think of Plant Hunters these days but field researcher Dr Jun Hu spends a lot of his time, often with his fellow researchers outside the city getting bitten and stung by insects and enduring inclement weather and lack of sleep far from the city comforts of Chengdu.
He spoke of his own garden and showed us images of impressive tree specimens planted by his grandfather . He chatted about native species becoming less visible in the cities artificial landscapes and he also gave some perspective on very rare plants . When he showed the image of the Sichuan native Dove Tree Davidia involucrata or as my own mother called ‘the handkerchief tree’ which she had in her front garden for about 15 years in Carlow Ireland but then unfortunately it died. The two outer leaves (bracts) surrounding the centre turn white resembling the wings of a dove or like a handkerchief fluttering in the breeze.
Davidia involucrata Dove Tree or Handkerchief Tree Photo: courtesy of Dr Hu Jun
Davidia involucrata Dove Tree or Handkerchief Tree Photos courtesy of Dr Hu Jun
And then we got to the Indiana Jones part of plant hunting .
The genus Euonymus has a few variants. (See Tree poem Euonymus (Alatus )Zones Tree Story # 60) One very rare variant Euonymus aquifolium was originally listed in 1908 in Sichuan by the renowned Ernest Henry Wilson (1876-1930) whose explorations and plant collections were a significant contribution to Chinese Plant dissemination . This particular rare species was not seen for 110 years and was found on a cliff in Western Sichuan in 2021 by Dr Jun Hu.
Euonymus aquifolium Photo: courtesy of Dr Hu Jun
Dr Hu also showed us his photos of a 102 m Cypress the tallest tree in Asia , recently discovered in May 2023 by Peking University Researchers in one of the deepest gorges of the Yarlung Sangbo Grand Canyon. （this is the second tallest tree in the world after the Californian Redwood）.
Photo ： courtesy of Dr Jun Hu
A huge thank you to Dr Jun Hu for adding that knowledge and wonder to our second workshop and recording of Tree Stories at CPI Luxelakes, Chengdu. He also contributed a tree story recording so please stay tuned to the Memory Palace of Tree Stories with these new additions.
Huge thank you to all the story tellers of both workshops Oct 10th and Oct 14th , for your flexibility and generosity in helping with various requests, a very special thanks to Sheng Yao who has returned to his studies in London .
Relaxing with friends after the workshop Sept 10th
The next tree story workshop and recording will be October 4th. If you are interested in sharing your story please contact me directly . There will also be a second workshop for discussion and image making for your tree story on October 6th.
This is part of the A4 Artist Residency in Chengdu Sept -Oct 2024 , stay tuned for more news on the upcoming festival at CPI Luxelakes.