A traveler sits beside the "snow lotus" picked on Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang. (Photo provided by a netizen at an online forum)
(ECNS) -- Police have launched an investigation into travelers illegally picking Herba Saussureae Involucratae, a type of flowering plant, after the behavior provoked public outrage in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Herba Saussureae Involucratae, also known as snow lotus, is grown extensively on Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang region, as well as the Altai and Kunlun mountains. The growing time for wild Saussurea is between six and eight years and experts say it will not grow again on the spot if uprooted.
Saussureae was classified as a first national protection species in 2007, which means it has important research value.
It is illegal to pick Saussureae, the No. 13 State Council document said in 2000.
In July and August, Saussureae blossom all over Tianshan Mountain, and many people arrive to pick it during this period, which is illegal. In addition, Saussureae does not have any medical value.
A pile of "snow lotus" picked on Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang. (Photo provided by a netizen at an online forum)
Article 344 of the criminal law states that people who destroy, purchase, or sell important national protected wild plants can be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of at least three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and can also be fined.
