"Diaoyu Dao" is named because of the abundance of fish around it and its suitability for fishing, and the ancient Chinese ancestors first discovered and named it in the practice of fishing at sea. In ancient Chinese documents, Diaoyu Dao is also known as Diaoyu Yu, Diaoyutai and Diaoyu Mountain. At present, the earliest historical book that records the names of Diaoyu Dao, Chiwei Yu and other places is "Sending with the Wind" written in 1403 (the first year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty). Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are located in the eastern part of the continental shelf of the East China Sea, between 25°40′ and 26°00′ north latitude and 123°20′ and 124°40′ east longitude, about 375 kilometers east of Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, and about 180 kilometers northeast of Keelung City, Taiwan Province. There are 4 vegetation islands in Diaoyu Island, Huangwei Yu, Nanxiao Island and Beixiao Island, and 67 unvegetated islets and rocks such as Chiwei Yu, Nanyu and Beiyu.
Among the islands with vegetation, Diaoyu Dao has the largest area, about 3641 meters long, 1905 meters wide, and an area of about 3.91 square kilometers. The highest peak on the Diaoyu Islands is called Gaohua Peak, which is about 362 meters above sea level. The island is oriented east-west, and the main body is located on the south side of the island, so there are many steep rock walls and cliffs on the south side; The north side is gentler with 4 streams, making it the only island with fresh water. The largest affiliated island, Huangwei Yu, is about 28 kilometers away from Diaoyu Dao, with an area of about 0.91 square kilometers, and the highest peak, Huangmaofeng, is about 117 meters above sea level. The distance between Nanxiao Island and Beixiao Island is only about 200 meters, and the two are about 5 kilometers away from Diaoyu Dao. The area of the southern island is about 0.4 square kilometers, and the highest altitude is about 139 meters, and the area of the northern island is about 0.31 square kilometers, and the highest altitude is about 135 meters. The waters where the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands are located are subtropical monsoon climate zones, with hot and humid summer weather and cold winters, with an average annual temperature of 21°C and annual rainfall of up to 2800 mm.
As early as the Ming Dynasty, the Diaoyu Islands were under the jurisdiction of the mainland. In 1561 (the 40th year of Ming Jiajing), Hu Zongxian, the highest general of the Ming Dynasty stationed on the southeast coast, presided over and compiled by Zheng Ruozeng, which clearly included Diaoyu Dao and other islands in the "coastal mountain and sand map" and included them in the coastal defense scope of the Ming Dynasty. The "Complete Map of Qiankun Unification of Coastal Defense" drawn by Xu Bida and others in 1605 (the 33rd year of the Wanli Ming Dynasty) and the map of China's coastal defense drawn by Mao Yuanyi in 1621 (the first year of tomorrow's Qiqi) also included Diaoyu Dao and other islands within the borders of China's seas.
There are many species of flora and fauna in the Diaoyu Islands, and all terrestrial animals are distributed on the above four islands with vegetation, including 6 species of mammals, 48 species of birds, 7 species of reptiles, 288 species of arthropods and 123 species of other invertebrates. However, the human-introduced cats and goats on the Diaoyu Islands have had many adverse effects on local biodiversity, especially the predation of cats on birds and other animals, and the destruction of vegetation on the island by goats. Coupled with the barren soil on the island, about 30% of the land has become bare, and the ecological environment of the Diaoyu Islands has become increasingly fragile.
Hand-Painted Plants of China's Diaoyu Islands, edited by Ye Jianfei, Commercial Press, November 2022.
Diaoyu Island Xiaoxin
Evergreen herb, heart-shaped, dark green, thick leathery, shiny, veins sunken in a reticular leaf surface. The peduncles are short and the flowers are hidden in the leaf bushes and close to the ground. The flowers are 3-lobed, pale yellow to purplish-red, with sparse or dense dark purple spots, and a dark purple throat. Diaoyu Dao Xiaoxin is a specialty of Diaoyu Dao, China.
Diaoyu Dao Xiaoxin is a plant endemic to Diaoyu Dao, only distributed in the forest of the slopes of Diaoyu Dao. The leaves are thick leathery and shiny, with flowers pale yellow to purplish-red. The genus name "Asarum" means "no stem" because Aristolochiaceae plants are mostly vines, but the genus Asarum is a clumpy herbaceous plant without obvious stems. The addition "senkakuinsulare" refers to the pattern origin of the Diaoyu Islands in China.
Diaoyu Hyperica
Evergreen shrub with reddish-brown bark. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-elliptic, blunt or sharply pointed at the apex, and wedge-shaped at the base. The flowers are yellow, the petals are inverted ovate, blunt or slightly pointed at the apex, and the edges are microwave-shaped. 5 bundles of stamens. Diaoyu Hypericum is a specialty of Diaoyu Dao, China.
Hypericum is endemic to Diaoyu Islands, only distributed on Diaoyu Islands. Hypericum from the Diaoyu Islands is classified as critically endangered (CR) species due to its narrow distribution area and the damage caused by human-introduced goats.
The genus name "Hypericum" means "upper" + "picture", because in ancient times, Hypericum plants were hung on pictures to ward off evil spirits. The addition word "senkakuinsulare" means "of the Diaoyu Islands".
Diaoyu Island blood tonic grass
Perennial herb with thick straight roots. Leaves basal, reddish, slightly fleshy, spoon-shaped, apex rounded, short-pointed, tapering at base, fully margined, glabrous on both sides. The panicles consist of mostly spike-like inflorescences. Calyx tubular, white, corolla funnel-shaped.
Diaoyu Island Blood Supplement is specially produced in Diaoyu Dao, China. Diaoyu Island Blood Supplement is a special plant of Diaoyu Island, which grows on the reef. The plant is slightly fleshy with broad basal leaves and rounded apex. The spike-like inflorescences form conical inflorescences with a corolla funnel-shaped. The genus name "Limonium" is derived from the ancient Greek word meaning "meadow". The species addition "senkakuense" refers to the model origin of this species in the Diaoyu Islands of China.
Diaoyu Island azaleas
Evergreen shrub with brown branches and hairy when young. The leaves are thinly leathery, hairy on the surface, inverted ovate, bluntly rounded at the apex, wedge-shaped at the base, and fully margined at the margin. The flowers are born at the top of the branches, the corolla is broad bell-shaped, lilac, and the upper 3 petals have purple strip-shaped spots. 10 stamens, unequal in length. Diaoyu Island azaleas are a specialty of the Diaoyu Islands in China.
Diaoyu dazalea is the only azalea in Diaoyu Island, and it is also an endemic species of Diaoyu Dao. It is a variant of the rhododendron, which has distinct hairs on its leaves because of its adaptation to the island climate. The flowers are lilac with dark purple spots. The genus name "Rhododendron" stands for "rose" + "tree", referring to the flower color of the rhododendron. The plantation appendage "tawadae" refers to the type specimen collector of the variety, Tawada Shijun.
Musk lily
bulbs spherical or nearly spherical; The scales are white. The leaves are scattered, lanceolate or round-lanceolate, tapering at the apex, fully margined, glabrous on both sides. Several flowers are born at the top of the branches; Flower trumpet-shaped, narrow tube, white, slightly green outside the tube; The upper end of the tepal is 2.5–4 cm wide; The inner tepals are slightly wider than the outer wheels. Musk lilies are distributed in Diaoyu Dao and Huangwei Yu in China; It is also found in Japan.
Musk lilies are perennial herbaceous plants with highly fragrant flowers that can be used to make spices. Plants of this genus are mostly used to make cut flowers, and some species of bulbs can be eaten or medicinal. The flowers are white or slightly yellowish, the corolla tube is narrow and long, and the seed additive "longiflorum" means "longiflorum". The genus name "Lilium" is the Latin common name for the plant in this genus.
Earbud duck plant
Creeping herb. The leaves have short and distinct petioles; The leaves are elliptic or lanceolate, sharply pointed or short tapering at the apex, sparsely hairy above, sometimes pubescent below or nearly glabrous on both sides. The total bracts are opposite, with only 1 inflorescence or 2-4 clusters at the apex of each branch; A branch in the lower part of the inflorescence barely develops; The upper branch has 2-4 flowers. The flowers are small, light blue. The capsule is small, globular and triangular. The seeds are oval, ventral surface flat, grey-brown, smooth.
It is distributed in Diaoyu Island, Huangwei Yu and southern Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. It is also found in Indonesia and western Oceania. Reclining or creeping herbaceous plant with thin stems. The leaves are elliptic-lanceolate, with 2-4 small flowers per inflorescence, and the flowers are pale blue. The genus name "Commelina" is in honor of Johan, a botanist of the Commelin family in the Netherlands in the 17th century, and his nephew Caspar. The addition word "auriculata" means "ear-shaped" and refers to the bract shape of this species.
Thick-leaved grouper
Evergreen shrub or small tree with thick branches and extremely forked. Leaves thick leathery, oblong, ovate or inverted ovate, apex blunt to slightly sharply pointed, base wedge-shaped, full margin or sparsely bluntly serrated, margins slightly rolled downward, dark green above, slightly shiny, pale green below. Inflorescences are umbel-shaped, apical, erect. The petals are white to pink, inverted ovate. The fruit is spherical, black-purple with white frost, with a spal sloughing remnant at the tip. Thick-leaved grouper is distributed in Diaoyu Islands, Taiwan, and eastern Zhejiang in China; It is also found in Japan.
Thick-leaved groupers are similar in morphology to groupers, but thick-leaved groupers often have full-margined leaves and larger flowers. The species additive "umbellata" means "umbellata".
Duguan Mountain
Evergreen erect shrub. The leaves are leathery, sometimes thin, elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, apex tapering, sharply pointed or blunt, base wedge-shaped, blunt or rounded, sparsely serrated on or above the margin, glabrous on both sides. Inflorescences or panicles, solitary or 2-3 in leaf axils. The corolla is white , long bell-shaped , with distinct veined glandular stripes. The fruit is spherical, fleshy, with veined glandular stripes, with a calyx at the apex, and a peduncle of flowers. It is distributed in Diaoyu Island, China, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan and Zhejiang. It is also found in Japan and northern Vietnam.
It does not have the same bright and attractive fruits as other plants in the same family. The flowers and fruits of the Duguan Mountain are gathered in the leaf axils, like osmanthus, so it is commonly known as mountain osmanthus. The genus name "Maesa" comes from Arabic.
This article is excerpted from Hand-Drawn Plants of China's Diaoyu Islands, and the illustrations used in the text are from the book. It has been authorized by the publishing house to publish.
Original editor/Ye Jianfei
Excerpt / He Ye
Editor/Wang Mingbo
Introduction proofreader/Liu Jun