Endangered wild Yellow Tree Peony. [File photo] 

A plan has been launched to protect the endangered wild Yellow Tree Peony (paeonia lutea), an icon of Tibetan medicine, in its main growing region of Mainling County, in Tibet's Nyingchi Prefecture.

The protection plan, named "Seed Mission" was announced at a press conference of the county's tourism festival.

Zhang Yikun, deputy head of Mainling county, said that the valuable wild flower is extremely endangered in terms of numbers, and the county has called for more attention to improve its environment.

Wang Cuili, the national head of tourism, said the plant grows in barren sandstone areas and its buds can suffer from late-night frost in April and May. The high medicinal value of the herb in Tibetan culture has also led to excessive picking of the species.

Editor: Lucia Su