Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Quite unlike the wetland-dwelling sacred lotus, the snow lotus is found high in the eastern Himalaya. Despite its remote habitat, however, the cottony white flower is disappearing. The plant is overharvested for use in traditional medicine and also faces pressure from climate change. With funding from National Geographic, Jan Salick and her ethnobotany team compared wild specimens with those in a herbarium collected over the last century. She found the number of species is dwindling and some species are dwarfing due to selection pressure because only the smallest flowers remain unpicked. In addition, warming temperatures are allowing fast-moving weeds to creep up the mountainsides and overtake the slow-growing snow lotus. (Saussurea laniceps)
意译：中国植物图片集。相当不同的沼泽地住处对于神圣的荷花，那雪莲是在高原东喜马拉雅山。不论它在遥远的生活环境，这种棉花白的花是消失了。这种植物是过度收获用于传统的医学和它也面向压力来自气候的变化。通过国家地理杂种的Jan Salick和她的人类植物学队比较野生标本的干燥标本收集在上一世纪。她发现那些种类在缩小和矮化病其原因在选择的压力因为只有很小的花保留未摘。总之温度变暖是加速死亡的蔓延在山腰上的受到突然袭击影响生长缓慢的雪莲。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
This relative of the California redwood was only known from 200-million-year-old fossils until a small living population was discovered in 1941 in the Hubei Province of remote central China. Seeds from the soaring trees were collected and distributed, and it soon became a popular ornamental in home gardens. Its rebound was such that foresters grew it for pulp production. By 1980, however, the tree's recovery was threatened by intensive rice cultivation, and the government protected it from logging. Unlike the California sequoia, the dawn redwood is deciduous, losing its leaves for part of the year. (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
意译：中国植物图片集。相关于加利福尼亚的红杉树被惟一知名自200百万年前的老化石，直到1941年发现一些生活在遥远的中国中心湖北省。种子来自高飞的树已经收集和分布各处，而且它不久变成装饰物在家庭公园。它的反弹是由于森林官员做为研究成果。自1980年，无论如何，红杉树的恢复受到威胁来自稻谷的培植，现在政府保护它自伐木业的管理不同的是加利福尼亚的美洲红杉树，它是每年落叶的，损失它们的叶片在每年部分时间。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
The “king of herbs” is considered by practitioners of Chinese medicine a remedy for almost any disease. It has been ingested one way or another for more than 5,000 years. Contemporary analysis shows that the roots contain a unique class of compounds called ginsenosides that are believed to strengthen the immune system and mitigate the effects of stress. There are about 15 ginseng species in Asia and two in North America. National Geographic sponsored two study trips, one by botanist Jun Wen and another by botanist Greg Plunkett, on expeditions to China to analyze the plant and its complex lineages. (Panax ginseng)
意译：中国植物图片集。有：“草药之王”美称是被尊重的从业者的中国的药物治疗几乎任何疾病。人参可以咽下吸收或者其他途径已经超过5000年。当代人分析显示它的根部含有独特的复合的人参药理活性成分――皂甙哪能增强免疫系统和减轻副作用。这里有15种人参在亚洲和两种在北美洲。国家地理发起两组研究队，一队由植物学家Jun Wen而另外一组由植物学家Greg Plunkett,在远征到中国分析植物和它的复杂的血统。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/03310CB7.002C
Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Native to a rugged, mountainous area of southwestern China, this beautiful, yet endangered, maple is threatened by habitat destruction and the construction of new dams. Embarking on an ambitious project in 2006 to help the maples survive, William McNamara, with funding from National Geographic, surveyed and fenced wild tree populations and created nurseries to produce seedlings. The Chinese maple was first documented in 1929 in Sichuan Province by botanist Joseph Rock while he was doing fieldwork sponsored by the National Geographic Society. (Acer pentaphyllum)
意译：中国植物图片集。中国本土生的枫叶树，多山区域的西南中国，这么美丽，至今有灭绝的危险，枫叶树的危险来自生活环境的破坏和建筑物。2006年着手计划帮助枫叶树的生还，William McNamara，从国家地理寻找资金，测量第一个档案于1929年在四川省被植物学家Joseph Rock当时他从事野外工作发起人是国家地理社交界。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/033110A1.002C
Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Ginkgo trees are living legends endemic to China. Some grow to more than 165 feet (50 meters) and live for centuries. The leaf extract has long been used to treat a variety of ailments and conditions, including asthma, bronchitis, fatigue, dementia, poor circulation, and ringing in the ears. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginkgo has the power to fix imbalances of yin and yang in the human body. Scientific studies on its chemical merits, however, are inconclusive. One proven feature of ginkgo is a high tolerance to air pollution. The female trees have orange-tinged, fruitlike seeds that are edible when roasted, but in autumn they fall to the ground, creating enormous, sour bogs. (Ginkgo biloba)
意译：中国植物图片集。银杏树在中国传说对地方病治疗起作用。有些生长超过165英尺（50米）而且可以存活数百年。银杏叶的提炼已经很久用于治疗各种疾病和不适，包括哮喘，支气管炎，疲劳，痴呆，血液循环不畅，和耳鸣。在中国的传统医学，银杏树的力量能够平衡人体的阴阳。科学家研究它的化学的价值，无论如何，还未决定的。一个已经证实的重要作用是高耐受性对于空气污染。雌性银杏树结果实呈淡橙huang se，当烤干后，到了秋天树叶落地，引起巨大的发酵的酸味。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
The “queen of flowers,” or moutan, is a national treasure in China. It has large pearly petals in shades of red, pink, and purple. The luminous, double-rose flowers have a sublime fragrance. Popular as a backyard plant around the world, the tree peony grows slowly over the first three years and then suddenly flourishes. It can live more than a hundred years. (Paeonia suffruticosa)
意译：中国植物图片集。这“花中王后”，或称牡丹，在中国是国家的珍宝。它有巨大珍珠似的花瓣其颜色有红，粉红，和紫色。这明亮的，双玫瑰花型的牡丹花有一种极其的芳香味。通常种植在庭院到世界各地，牡丹树生长缓慢经过三年之后就会突然繁荣茂盛。它可以成活超过百年。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Originally from central China, sumac is able to withstand an extensive range of weather conditions. It has attractive leaves that produce brilliant autumn colors. Among traditional medical practitioners and Western scientists, it is considered a medical jewel. Its fruit and extracts contain proteins, coagulants, and powerful astringents. It has been used to treat coughs, asthma, fever, lost appetite, ulcers, and stomach and respiratory disorders. The gall from this small tree has antibacterial effects, and some extracts may even be effective against HIV-1. (Rhus chinensis
意译：中国植物图片集。最先从中国的中心，漆树能够独自抵挡广泛的气候条件。它的树叶到秋天时节出现灿烂的色彩。在传统医学之中从业者和西方科学家，它是被尊重为药的宝石。它的果实榨取物含有蛋白质，凝血剂和强大的收敛剂。它已经被用于治疗咳嗽，哮喘，发热，食欲低下，溃疡病，和强力收敛剂。皮肤的损伤从小树上可以有抗菌的效应，而且一些榨取
汁可能有效的对抗艾滋病病毒。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
This deciduous, ornamental climber with suction-cup tendrils has a love affair with brick buildings. In the absence of a supporting structure, it clambers along the ground. Despite the nickname, Boston ivy is endemic to eastern Asia, though it's closely related to America's elegant Virginia creeper. The Virginian can be distinguished by its palmlike compound leaves, whereas the Bostonian has simple leaves that are just slightly lobed. Both species bear bright red leaves in the autumn and are considered rather invasive because they grow with unrivaled zeal. (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
意译：中国植物图片集。这些每年落叶的，观赏性攀缘植物用它的吸盘卷须状喜欢爬到砖墙的建筑物。在没有支持物的结构，它就沿着地面向前。不管它的绰号，波士顿常春藤在亚洲东部地方，虽然它的接近关系和美国的雅致的维吉尼亚爬行者。维吉尼亚人能够是著名的在于它的棕榈似的混合树叶，然而波士顿人有简单的叶子正是苗条的叶片。两者均能在秋天出现明亮的红色也都被尊重过因为它们的生长伴随至高无上的热情。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
The humble-looking shrub is prized for flowers that release an uncommonly delicate aroma and flavor comparable to apricots. Chinese have used this evergreen for thousands of years in tea, wine, and perfumes. Scientists confirm that the plant has more than a hundred chemical constituents. Elizabeth Arden, Liz Claiborne, and Calvin Klein, to name a few companies, reportedly use sweet olive extracts in their perfumes. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) currently trades for about U.S. $4,000 in Asian markets. (Osmanthus fragrans)
意译：中国植物图片集。从表面上看来是卑下的灌木丛在于它的奖赏是花朵能够释放一种罕见的微妙的芳香味较之杏树的香味。中国人已经使用长绿植物达数千年在茶叶，酒类和香水。科学家们确定那些植物有超过一百种化学要素。伊丽莎白Arden，Liz Claiborne，和加尔文Klein，去命名一些比较，据说用甜橄榄榨取出它们的香水。一公斤现在的交易价为4000美元在亚洲的市场。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Found only in the mountains of western China, the dove tree’s flowers are surrounded by large, whimsical leaves called involucres that lose their photosynthetic capability as they turn from green to white. National Geographic sponsored Zhiduan Chen to study the endangered tree in China. He told us the legend of how it was named: During the Han dynasty, the beautiful Zhaojun Wang married the king of a distant northern tribe. Missing her family, Zhaojun sent a letter home attached to a dove, which flew nonstop for a thousand miles, finally landing and dying on a dove tree branch outside her family’s home. The tree was renamed to honor the dedicated messenger. (Davidia involucrata)
意译：中国植物图片集。寻找惟一在中国西部的山脉，那鸽子树上的花朵被大量的环绕，古怪的花瓣命名花被因此失去它们的光合作用能力这样它们从绿色变为白色。国家地理主办人Zhiduan Chen去研究有灭绝的树木在中国。他告诉我们的传说它是如何命名的：当汉朝，美丽的王昭君出嫁皇帝在遥远的北部部落。缺少她的家庭成员，昭君发了一封信回家附件在鸽子上，鸽子飞过万水千山不停，最终降落到一棵鸽子树枝上在她的老家房子外面。这棵树重新命名为光荣的献身的报信使者。
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Photo Gallery: Chinese Plants
Though the spiky, fallen fruit balls of the sweetgum are hazardous to barefoot walkers, they intrigue chemists and doctors. The seed capsules contain shikimic acid, a key ingredient in the drug Tamiflu, used to fight avian bird flu. The wide-ranging American sweetgum, L. styraciflua, contains significant amounts of this antiviral agent. To understand the sweet gum "family tree," National Geographic sponsored Stefanie Ickert-Bond on a study and collection mission to seldom visited areas of south China. She reported that the trees managed to migrate across both the Bering and the North Atlantic land bridges. (Liquidambar formosa)
意译：中国植物图片集。虽然像大钉似的，落下的果实呈球形的sweetgum甜果对于光脚徒步者，它激起化学家和医生的注意。种子的外壳含有shikimic酸，一个关键是药物Tamiflu,用来对抗禽流感。广泛搜索美国的sweetgum，L styraciflua，含有重要的大量的这种抗滤过性病毒作用。去了解这种甜树脂的“家庭树”，国家地理的发起人Stefanie Ickert-Bond在一项研究课题和收集任务到很少访问的中国南部。她报告这树群处理移植横过白令海峡和北大西洋陆地桥之间。
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Photo of the Day
April 22, 2008
Cloudy Sky, Location Unknown, 2004
Photograph by Peter Essick
Piles of cotton-like cumulus clouds fill the sky on a clear day. Mid-level cumulus clouds form between 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) and about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). They form when humid air cools enough for water vapor to condense into droplets or ice crystals. A single cloud can hold billions of pounds of water, but may not always produce rain.
Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, marks the anniversary of the 1970 birth of the environmental movement. Scientists warn that rising temperatures worldwide could fuel extreme weather—just one of many damaging effects of global warming.
意译：堆积像棉花似的积云充满在晴朗的天空。中水平的堆积云从6500英尺（2000米）到20000英尺（6000米）之间。它们的构成当湿润的冷空气充足使得水蒸气浓缩成为小滴或冰晶。单一的云层能够拥有十亿磅的水，但不可能总是引起降雨。
地球日，著名的一年一次在4月22日，标志的周年纪念在1970年诞生的保护环境的运动。科学家发出警告：全世界的温度的上升燃料能造成极端的气候――其中之一正好是许多有破坏性的产生全球的变暖。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331A481.002C
Li River, China, 1974
Photograph by Luis Marden
Jagged tower karst formations rise in the distance as the Li River flows past a quiet landscape near Guilin, China.
These karst mountains are what remain of an ancient seabed that was lifted and subsequently eroded away. The formations line much of the Li River and have inspired Chinese poets and artists for centuries. They're also a source of national pride, earning an appearance on the back of China's 20 yuan note.
意译：锯齿状的塔堡喀斯特（石灰岩地区常见）构成在距离漓江流动过往一个宁静的山水画靠近中国的桂林。这些喀斯特山脉是在远古保留的海底然后升起和后来受到不断的腐蚀。这种地形构造带大量的出现在漓江，而且许多有灵感的中国的诗人和艺术家到这里有很多世纪。它们也是国家自豪的来源，每次游览漓江的收费是中国的20元。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331A506.002C
Photo of the Day
April 22, 2008
Cloudy Sky, Location Unknown, 2004
Photograph by Peter Essick
Piles of cotton-like cumulus clouds fill the sky on a clear day. Mid-level cumulus clouds form between 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) and about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). They form when humid air cools enough for water vapor to condense into droplets or ice crystals. A single cloud can hold billions of pounds of water, but may not always produce rain.
Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, marks the anniversary of the 1970 birth of the environmental movement. Scientists warn that rising temperatures worldwide could fuel extreme weather—just one of many damaging effects of global warming.
意译：堆积像棉花似的积云充满在晴朗的天空。中水平的堆积云从6500英尺（2000米）到20000英尺（6000米）之间。它们的构成当湿润的冷空气充足使得水蒸气浓缩成为小滴或冰晶。单一的云层能够拥有十亿磅的水，但不可能总是引起降雨。
地球日，著名的一年一次在4月22日，标志的周年纪念在1970年诞生的保护环境的运动。科学家发出警告：全世界的温度的上升燃料能造成极端的气候――其中之一正好是许多有破坏性的产生全球的变暖。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331A5E9.002C
Patterns in Nature: Food
Green-skinned guavas greet shoppers at a Copacabana Beach market in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。绿色薄皮番石榴迎接购物者，在Copacabana海滩市场在巴西的里约热内卢。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331E73B.002C
Patterns in Nature: Food
Steamed blue crabs crowd a Washington, D.C., market vendor's tray.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。清蒸蓝蟹，一群人在华盛顿特区，市场上摆放卖方的托盘。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331E7FF.002C
Patterns in Nature: Food
Spiny, green durian fruit, for sale at a Singapore market, is known for its rotting stench.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。多刺的，绿榴莲果实，销售在新加坡市场，是众所周知的，其腐烂的恶臭味。
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Patterns in Nature: Food
Juicy, pink watermelon wedges entice patrons at a Singapore market.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。多汁的，粉红色西瓜切开，引诱顾客在新加坡市场。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331E8AF.002C
Patterns in Nature: Food
Steamer clams pile up in Eastham, Massachusetts.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。蒸笼蛤堆在伊斯特汉，马萨诸塞州。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331E8EE.002C
Patterns in Nature: Food
Plump and glistening, cherries are chock-full of disease-fighting antioxidants.
意译：食物在自然界的模式。饱满和反光的樱桃，是充满了的和疾病的战斗抗氧化剂。
http://bbs.home.news.cn/upfiles/0331E93F.002C