“Water beauty” of Lugu Lake goes viral on WeChat

Photos of Ottelia acuminata var. crispa, a kind of aquatic plant growing in Lugu Lake, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang City has “exploded” in Chinese social network app WeChat.

Ottelia acuminata var.crispa is a unique water plant found in China, distributing in lakes in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan and Guizhou. It only lives in the water with high quality, and was included in China’s endangered and protected plants list in 1987. It is also called “Water Beauty” for its stunning flowers.

Luckily, the wild Ottelia acuminata var.crispa has now been basically far away from the verge of extinction through years of protection. Those artificially cultivated have become one of the popular vegetables in Hema, Alibaba-based fresh products supplier. They are now planted in several Hema purchasing bases. With huge market demand, Ottelia acuminata var.crispa is thriving again both in the water and on the dining tables.

Text by Chen Wenzhong, trans-edited by Wang Huan