Sago palm is one of the oldest species of extant seed plants on earth. It first appeared in the Paleozoic Permian era of dinosaurs about 280 million years ago. When the Quaternary glaciers came, the sago palm distributed in the northern hemisphere became extinct. In China, due to the barriers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Qinling Mountains, some sago palm trees distributed in the southern region survived.

In Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province,there is a rare species of wild sago palm, namely Panzhihua Sago palm. It is the endemic antiquated survival in China and the national-level protected plants, also known as the "Three Treasures of Sichuan" together with giant pandas and dinosaur fossils. Although people always say that the iron tree in blossom, it seldom seen or hardly possible. It is out of the ordinary that Panzhihua Sago palm blossoms every year.

It is the treasure in Panzhihua City. About 250,000 Panzhihua sago palm trees in the National Nature Reserves along the Baguan River is dramatic. The local government has also invested nearly 100 million yuan in ecological restoration. The ancient species has been thriving in Panzhihua City.