Source: CCTV.com

01-04-2009 15:31

In China's northwest, there is one of the wildest, bleakest, and most desolate places on the planet. It's the Taklamakan Desert.

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As you might imagine, not much life is to be found there. Still, one or two particularly hardy species do manage to eke out an existence. Among them is the Euphrates Poplar, which happens to be the only tree in the desert.

Fossil finds indicate that Euphrates Poplars were around way back in the Tertiary Period – that's around 65 million years ago. Now, the secret to the Euphrates Poplars' extraordinary longevity is their ability to adapt to the extreme drought and high winds.

Legend has it that Euphrates poplars can live for a thousand years; even after they die they don't fall for another thousand years; and after they fall they don't rot for a further thousand years.

Incidentally, in the local Uygur language the Euphrates Poplar is called "Tokolako", meaning the "most beautiful tree".

Editor:Liu Fang