Staff at the Zhongshan Nature Reserve Management Center have discovered a woody fern in the Wuguishan area, later identified as Alsophila costularis, commonly known as the Chinese tree fern. It is a national second‑class protected wild plant.

Chinese tree fern is a perennial woody fern. Its stem can reach 5 meters or more in height and 15-30 centimeters in diameter, while its fronds can grow over 40 centimeters long with deep reddish‑brown bases.

It is the only surviving woody fern and is often called the "king of ferns." Having evolved alongside the dinosaurs, it serves as a natural "living fossil" for studying paleogeography, paleoclimate change and plant evolution.