Reefesia rotundifolia, an extremely rare species of plant, has recently been discovered in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A total of 11 such plants were spotted in a nature reserve in Fangchenggang City in the region. The plants are deeply rooted, and most of them are about 3 to 14 meters high.

Regarded as a "live plant fossil", reefesia rotundifolia can be traced back to the age of the dinosaur, and has been listed among the most endangered species in China, experts said.

They added that the plants will provide valuable references for research on the evolution and extinction of certain species co-existing with dinosaurs.

No more than 10 such rare plants have ever been found in the region before, experts said, adding that the plants have never been spotted in other provinces in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2002)