You might have noticed something new at the city’s Botanical Garden - the plants have new tags. A quick scan with a smartphone can now reveals fascinating facts about such garden residents. It was actually an updating project for the floral nameplates across the garden.

The renewal of tags encompasses the garden’s core areas and a zone of distinctive plants, comprised of its main pathways, the Herb Garden, the Maple and Rhododendron Garden, the Potted Landscape Garden, the Plant Taxonomy Area, Qinglong Hill Scenic Spot, and the Economic Plants Area, “over 900 species (including varieties), and there would be more than 2,000 tags will be replaced,” said the garden office.

The nameplate can not only help identify species but help rise up public awareness on species conservation and the protection of germplasm resources. 

To ensure the progress in tag renewal, plant taxonomists and communication staff have done a research for the classification of the garden’s plants before the project kicked off. The selection of plants also took into account factors like area and ornamental value. Each tag was strictly reviewed and proofread for accuracy, i.e. to convey the knowledge to visitors without error.

Something new on the new tags are basic information, such as the family, genus, species and conservation number of the plants, and a QR code that, by scanning it, calls us to explore the mini-program “Into Nature” to find yourselves the morphological characteristics, habitats, growth habits, and use of the plants.

The new tags not only grant tips faster but help raise the public awareness of biodiversity and ecological protection. To unveil the wonder of nature, the Botanical Garden will continue to follow a set path that blends technology into ecology. The upgrading of infrastructures will help drive up service quality and make more people understand that saving nature is saving the planet.