Rare dove trees found in China

GUIYANG, China, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- A grove of more than 5,000 rare dove trees -- some of them at least 800 years old -- has been identified in southwest China, officials said.

The trees discovered in Guizhou province's Zhijin county, are on China's endangered species list.

Formally known as Davidia Involucrata Baill, dove trees are regarded in China as living fossils with a history dating back 10 million years, local officials told Xinhua.

Many dove tree groves have died out, leaving only a few in parts of southern China in Guizhou province, in Shennongjia in Hubei province and on Mount Emei in Sichuan province.