"It has a delicate fragrance and tastes wonderful." On May 22, at the national main event of the 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity held in Shanghai, Ren Zhijuan from Zibo, Shandong, couldn't help praising a cup of Dendrobium Huoshanense scented tea. On the same day, the practice of access to and benefit-sharing of the biological genetic resources of Dendrobium Huoshanense was listed among China's Top Ten Typical Cases for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Utilization. It is the only project in Anhui to receive this honor.

Commonly known as Rice Dendrobium, Dendrobium Huoshanense is a national first-class protected wild plant. It only grows in Huoshan County and its surrounding limited areas, and its wild resources were once on the verge of depletion. In the early 1970s, He Yunzhi, a local resident of Huoshan, trekked across mountains to search for wild strains and attempted artificial transplantation. In 1985, the experiment of domesticating wild Dendrobium Huoshanense achieved success. In 1986, he revived the centuries-old craftsmanship of processing Dendrobium Huoshanense into Fengdou, a traditional processed form of the herb.

Building on the original strains preserved by He Yunzhi and his son, Huoshan County has invested over 60 million yuan to build a conservation base for original Dendrobium Huoshanense strains. The base covers a 50-mu core planting area for original strains and a 900-mu wild-imitating propagation area, where more than 230 core germplasm resources are systematically preserved. The county has also formulated and implemented standardized regulations on the production and trading of seedlings, realizing full traceability of artificially propagated seedlings.

Conservation aims to achieve sustainable utilization. By the end of 2025, the total output value of the Dendrobium Huoshanense industry had reached 8.13 billion yuan. It has directly benefited over 2,000 farming households, with each household seeing an average annual income increase of 42,000 yuan. The entire industrial chain provides 30,000 stable jobs, generating over 10 million yuan in rental income and 520 million yuan in labor income for local people every year. The brand value of Dendrobium Huoshanense stands at 6.517 billion yuan, with its products divided into 7 major categories and more than 100 varieties.

Source: Anhui Daily