In Dongjiang Park, Huizhou City, Southern China's Guangdong Province, a striking natural formation has recently gone viral—an unusual jade vine (Mucuna birdwoodiana) entwined among a mountain fig (Ficus altissima) and a kapok tree (Bombax ceiba), resembling a poised "dinosaur" or "camel" in the forest.
Stretching several meters, the green vine winds between the two trees, forming a lifelike silhouette that visitors have affectionately dubbed the "dinosaur-shaped tree" or "camel tree." The formation has become a distinctive ecological landmark within the park.
According to Tian Lixin, deputy director of the Dongjiang Park Service Center, the scene was never designed by landscapers but emerged naturally. In May 2022, the park planted six to seven young vines beneath a 30-year-old strangler fig to create a layered flowering landscape. With only routine care such as watering, fertilization, and pest control, the plants were left to grow freely.
Over four years, the vine climbed the fig, extended onto a nearby kapok tree, and gradually formed its extraordinary shape through natural growth and structural support from the two mature trees, which are about 30 and 25 years old respectively.
The vine typically blooms from April to June, producing pale greenish-white flowers that hang in clusters like birds in flight. While flowering is still limited, park staff hope it will eventually create a fuller "blooming canopy" effect in the future.
Video editor & Text | Liu Lingzhi
Video footage | Huang Xinwei, Xiao Hong of Huizhou Daily
