Retired teacher dedicated to inspecting plants in Nantong

Tang Yifu takes photos of a plant in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Tang Yifu, a retired teacher from Nantong College of Science and Technology, recently finished his inspection of the plants at Langshan Mountain National Forest Park in Jiangsu province with the publication of a plant atlas.

The Plant Atlas of Nantong Langshan Mountain National Forest Park is the result of collaboration among Tang and other teachers and students at NTST.

Early winter is the season for viewing colorful leaves at Langshan Mountain National Forest Park. How many plant species are there in the park? In April of last year, the horticulture professional team of NTST revealed the answer on the school's official WeChat account: 1,226 species.

"Tang is responsible for photographing and identifying plants. He led us on an exploration of the Five Mountains and surrounding areas of the forest park, capturing over 20,000 photos," said Chen Xinyu, a graduate of the college. Tang mentioned that during their investigations, they discovered the largest group of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Zelkova trees in the city, totaling 69 trees, with Langshan Mountain alone being home to 35 Cunninghamia lanceolata trees.

"Since 1998, Tang has visited over 20 botanical gardens across the country, capturing photos of more than 3,000 plant species," said Hu Lin, head of the research group and associate professor at NTST.

Hu added that Tang has authored three textbooks and is the first person to extensively photograph plants in Nantong. He has made significant contributions to the training of agricultural technical talents and the conservation of local biodiversity in Nantong.