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Scientific name: Picea wilsonii M.T.Masters 1903
Synonyms: Picea fricksii Silba, Picea mastersii Mayr, Picea shennongjianensis Silba, Picea watsoniana Mast., Picea wilsonii f. mastersii (Mayr) J.Hoch, Picea wilsonii subsp. shanxiensis (Silba) Silba, Picea wilsonii subsp. watsoniana (Mast.) Silba, Picea wilsonii var. shanxiensis Silba, Picea wilsonii var. watsoniana (Mast.) Silba
Common names: Wilson spruce (English), Qing qian (Chinese)
Tree to 50 m tall, with trunk to 1.5 m in diameter. Bark dark gray, roughening but remaining scaly with age. Crown conical to cylindrical, with horizontal, spreading branches bearing horizontal or drooping side branches. New branchlets pale yellowish gray, hairless or with a few tiny at first. Buds 6-8 mm long, not resinous. Needles dark green, (0.5-)1-1.5(-2) cm long, curved and angled forward, diamond-shaped and somewhat flattened top to bottom, with two to four lines of stomates on the two outer faces and four or five lines on the inner faces, blunt to prickly. Pollen cones 20-30 mm long, pink. Seed cones 4-8 cm long, green before maturity, ripening light yellowish brown. Seed scales egg-shaped, smooth-edged, thin but woody and a little stiff. Seed body 3-4.5 mm long, the wing 9-11 mm longer.
The species name honors Ernest H. Wilson (1876-1930), who collected seeds of many trees and shrubs in central China, first for the Veitch nursery firm in England and later for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
North-central China from Qinghai and Sichuan to Nei Mongol, Shanxi, and Hubei. Scattered among other spruces and hardwoods in upper montane forest; 1,300-3,400 m.
Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern
The extent of occurrence and area of occupancy are relative large, with only a low population decline recorded, hence this species is listed as Least Concern.
Picea wilsonii is a high mountain species occurring at elevations between 1,400 m and 3,000 m a.s.l. (max. 2,100 m in the north of its range). The soils are mostly non calcareous, podzolic mountain soils. The climate is continental, montane to subalpine, with low precipitation and cold, long winters. In the montane boreal coniferous forests of N Sichuan and S Gansu it is usually growing with Picea asperata and Picea purpurea, also with Picea meyeri. Betula albosinensis is the most common broad-leaved tree in these spruce forests. It grows in pure stands or mixed with other conifer and broad-leaf species. Picea wilsonii is widespread and often dominant.
Continuing logging in some locations is the main threat to this species. Past logging has had some impact.
Wilson spruce is an important timber tree in China yielding wood for construction, railway sleepers, mining props, carpentry, and furniture making, as well as for pulp used in the paper (newsprint) industry. In horticulture, it is commonly planted as an amenity tree in northern China and Russia and grows well in regions with long, steady winters, but suffers from 'late' frosts in more maritime climates, especially in western Europe. In Europe and the USA it is seldom seen outside arboreta and botanic gardens.
The species is in a few protected areas.
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