File photo: Nantong Botanical Garden. [Photo by Xu Congjun for nantong.gov.cn]

The Nantong Botanical Garden in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, will bring in 19 species of rare plants, local media reported on March 8.

Located within the Langshan National Forest Park, the botanical garden was opened to the public in 2018 and showcases the plants of the Yangtze River Delta. The garden also serves as a place for plant conservation and research.

Lyu Jianhua from the management office of Langshan National Forest Park noted that in addition to rare plants, the garden will also bring in more than 800 regular trees and perennials.

File photo: Nantong Botanical Garden. [Photo by Xu Congjun for nantong.gov.cn]

"By introducing more species of plants, the forest park will attract more birds to inhabit and its natural environment will then be improved," said Tang Yifu from the Nantong Vocational College of Science and Technology.

In recent years, Nantong authorities have taken measures to restore the natural environment of the five mountains – Junshan, Jianshan, Langshan, Ma'an, and Huangni – in Langshan.

Currently, more than 80 percent of the five mountains is covered by vegetation and more than 1,200 species of plants and 112 ancient trees can be found in this area.