Cunninghamia lanceolata

Scientific name: Cunninghamia lanceolata (A.Lambert) W.J.Hooker  1827

Synonyms:Abies batavorum Siebold ex Carrière, Abies lanceolata (Lamb.) Poir., Belis jaculifolia Salisb., Belis lanceolata (Lamb.) Hoffmanns., Cunninghamia jaculifolia (Salisb.) Druce, Cunninghamia sinensis R.Br., Cunninghamia unicanaliculata D.Y.Wang & H.L.Liu, Larix chinensis Mill., Pinus lanceolata Lamb., Raxopitys cunninghamii J.Nelson

Common names:China fir, Shan mu (Chinese)

Description

Tree to 25 m tall, with trunk to 3 m in diameter. Bark reddish brown, furrowed, peeling in long vertical strips. Needles light green when young, turning dark green above with maturity, (0.8-)3-6(-7) cm long, (2-)3-5(-7) mm wide, often with two narrow stomatal grooves above as well as the wider bands beneath. Pollen cones in clusters of 16-30, 1.5-3 cm long, 6-8 mm thick. Seed cones 2.5-5 cm long, 2.5-4 cm in diameter. Seeds 5-7 mm long.

Central and southern China with outliers in northern Vietnam. Widespread on slopes in various forest communities and in plantations; (140-)250-2,500(-3,000) m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

(The species is very widely distributed and cultivated throughout southern China and adjacent countries. It is very difficult to distinguish between areas where it is naturalized and areas where it is truly indigenous. Throughout its range there is no evidence of decline and as a result it is assessed as Least Concern)

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.

Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.