Chinese shrub may be world's largest

NANNING, China, May 8 (UPI) -- Officials at a Chinese university said they believe a 100-foot-high purple bougainvillea plant attached to a school building may be the world's largest.

Guangxi University officials in Nanning said the shrub was planted 10 years ago and his now grown to cover the five-story building from top to bottom, The Sun, Britain, reported Tuesday.

Officials said they have applied to Guinness World Records to find out if the shrub is the largest in the world.

Students said they are fond of the bright purple plant, despite the light it blocks from their windows.

"We all help to keep the plant healthy from the windows of our room with some leaf pruning or feeding," one student said. "We don't mind that it blocks out the light -- it's beautiful to look at when it's in flower."