Exhibition to plant seed of thought in visitors

Visitors to Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden in Songjiang District will encounter a magical world of seeds, and discover the beauty of nature, with the opening of the first seed exhibition at the site.

The "All Things in Seeds: The 2024 Chenshan Botanical Garden Seed Exhibition" features more than 300 exhibits, including the world's largest seed – coco de mer palm seed, as well as seeds of the leguminous plant, and the seeds of the Chinese endemic plant – Jack Tree, which can produce "steelyard" fruits.

The exhibition area is divided into two sections – angiosperms and gymnosperms.

The angiosperm seed display cabinets showcase the diversity of seed forms and colors, seed structures and types, seed dispersal methods, common edible seeds, and various rare and endangered seeds.

China has the highest diversity of gymnosperm species in the world, with about 260 species across nine families, accounting for about 22 percent of the total number of gymnosperm species worldwide, and possesses five endemic genera with 106 endemic species.

In the gymnosperm seed exhibition area, visitors can see seeds and cones from more than 30 species of gymnosperms, as well as a rare potted seedling of the tallest tree in Asia – Cupressus austrotibetica, which originates from Bomi County, Xizang Autonomous Region.

The mother tree, measured by the Chinese giant tree scientific expedition team, reaches a height of 101.2 meters, and visitors can scan a QR code to view a full-length photo of the giant tree.

In the corridor connecting the two exhibition areas, there are seed crafts made by gardeners as well as more than 10 seed calendar works, allowing visitors to appreciate the natural beauty of plant seeds from a different perspective.

A giant seed wall in the center of the exhibition hall contains 176 kinds of colorful and varied plant seeds. It offers a glimpse into the magical power of plant seeds.

A micro seed photo wall comprises 11 exquisite micro seed photography works, which will take visitors into the micro seed world of 1 millimeter.

In addition to seed exhibits, visitors can also see a "lying" dragon's claw willow in the center of the exhibition hall, which is both an installation art piece and a unique seed exhibition shelf.

Exhibition info:

Venue: Chenshan Botanic Garden 辰山植物园

Opening hours: Through November 11, 8am-5:30pm

Address: 3888 Chenhua Highway, Songjiang District 松江区辰花公路3888号