The South China National Botanical Garden was officially inaugurated after an unveiling ceremony on Monday in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. It will play a role in protecting plant diversity in the country.

It is China's second national botanical garden. The first one opened in Beijing in April.

With Beijing located in a temperate zone and Guangzhou in a subtropical zone, the gardens will complement one another. China's national botanical garden system will help protect rare plants and ensure diversity, according to a statement released by the garden in Guangzhou on Monday.

China is among the countries with the richest plant diversity, with more than 37,000 species of known higher plants, which account for about 10 percent of the global total, the statement said.

Covering an area of 319 hectares, the South China National Botanical Garden was a joint project of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Guangdong provincial government and the Guangzhou city government.