Keteleeria fortunei

Last updated

Contents

Keteleeria fortunei
Keteleeria fortunei You Shan .jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Keteleeria
Species:
K. fortunei
Binomial name
Keteleeria fortunei
(A. Murray) Carrière

Keteleeria fortunei (zh: 油杉, you shan) is a coniferous evergreen tree. Originated in China, K. fortunei is an ancient relict species and a second-class national key protected plant, "mainly distributed in south subtropical to the middle subtropical edge". [2] It is found in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, and Zhejiang. The tree grows in hills, mountains, and broadleaf forests at elevations of 200–1400 m. The lifespan of K. fortunei can reach more than a thousand years, and the height of a thousand-year-old tree can reach more than 40 meters. [3] "Economically, K. fortunei is a treasure, and its comprehensive development and uses has broad prospects". [2] The species is named after Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, who discovered the tree in 1844. K. fortunei has also been reported from Vietnam but this is attributed to misidentification of immature specimens of Pseudotsuga sinensis . [4]

Description

It grows 25–30 m tall and 1 m in trunk diameter at breast height, forming a pyramidal crown with spreading, horizontal branches. The bark is dark gray, rough, and furrowed in a vertical pattern. Branchlets are orange-red and pubescent when young, turning yellow-gray or yellow-brown in their second or third year. The leaves are 1.2–3 cm long by 2–4 mm broad, stiff, sharply pointed on young trees and rounded or rarely slightly notched on mature trees. They are shiny dark green above and pale green on the underside with 12-17 stomatal lines on each side of the midrib. The cones are cylindrical, 6–18 cm long, 3–5 cm wide before opening and up to 7.5 cm wide after opening. They stand erect on short pubescent stalks and mature in October to a purple-brown color. The cones open upon maturity to release the seeds, which are large and oblong, 1-1.3 cm long with a yellow-brown wedge-shaped wing 3 cm long.

Uses

The tree is grown as an ornamental in warm climates, and the wood is used in construction and furniture, although the species is protected under Chinese forestry regulations.

"The ancients regarded K. fortunei as a mascot, and it was often placed around religious and sacrificial places such as Miao shrine and Ancestral shrine, which is why it suffered less man-made damage". [2] Although the ancient forests of K. fortunei are not easy to see, there are still "古樹王/King of Ancient Trees" in many places, for example, in 2018, a 1,500-year-old tree located in Yongtai County, Fujian was selected "China's Most Beautiful Ancient Tree" (In 2018, a total of 85 trees won this honor). [2]

Protection

In Hong Kong, this species is under protection based on Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

In 1986, several researchers discovered some ancient K. fortunei stumps in good condition with an area of more than 30 km² in Shenhu Bay, Jinjiang, Fujian. "The maximum diameter of the stump is 100 cm, the minimum is 27 cm, and the depth of the buried part below the water surface can reach 20-25 meters". [2] After identification, these stumps are more than 7,000 years old. In 1992, this rare natural relict in the world was officially designated by the State Council of China as "福建深沪湾海底古森林遗迹国家级自然保护区/National Nature Reserve of the Ancient Submarine Forest in Shenhu Bay, Fujian", which also protects a paleo oyster reef relict with a history of 9,000-25,000 years next to this ancient submarine forest. [5] This nature reserve is of great value for the study of paleogeography, paleoplants, paleoclimatology, etc. in the sea area near Shenhu Bay. [6]

In addition to the remains of the Ancient Submarine Forest in Shenhu Bay, the relics of K. fortunei have also been excavated in other places, such as a fossil about 70 million years ago unearthed near Xinyang and 罗山/Luoshan in Henan, a wooden slip of the Zhou Dynasty unearthed in 沙市/Shashi, Hubei, and a 9,300-year-old wooden stem unearthed in Wuhan, Hubei. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Quercus marilandica</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus marilandica, the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group Quercus sect. Lobatae. It is native to the eastern and central United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fujian</span> Province of China

Fujian is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest city by population is Quanzhou, other notable cities include the port city of Xiamen and Zhangzhou. Fujian is located on the west coast of the Taiwan Strait as the closest geographically and culturally to Taiwan. Certain islands such as Kinmen are only approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Xiamen in Fujian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larch</span> Genus of deciduous conifers in the family Pinaceae

Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus Larix, of the family Pinaceae. Growing from 20 to 45 metres tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south. Larches are among the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia and Canada. Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuzhou</span> Prefecture-level city in Fujian, China

Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Fuzhou lies between the Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Mindong linguistic and cultural region.

<i>Tilia</i> Plant genus

Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain and Ireland they are commonly called lime trees, although they are not related to the citrus lime. The genus occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but the greatest species diversity is found in Asia. Under the Cronquist classification system, this genus was placed in the family Tiliaceae, but genetic research summarised by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has resulted in the incorporation of this genus, and of most of the previous family, into the Malvaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupressaceae</span> Cypress family of conifers

Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera, which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecious trees and shrubs up to 116 m (381 ft) tall. The bark of mature trees is commonly orange- to red-brown and of stringy texture, often flaking or peeling in vertical strips, but smooth, scaly or hard and square-cracked in some species.

<i>Cryptomeria</i> Species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae

Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica. It used to be considered by some to be endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi. The tree is called Japanese cedar or Japanese redwood in English. It has been extensively introduced and cultivated for wood production on the Azores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longleaf pine</span> Species of plant (tree)

The longleaf pine is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as "yellow pine" or "long leaf yellow pine", although it is properly just one out of a number of species termed yellow pine. It reaches a height of 30–35 m (98–115 ft) and a diameter of 0.7 m (28 in). In the past, before extensive logging, they reportedly grew to 47 m (154 ft) with a diameter of 1.2 m (47 in). The tree is a cultural symbol of the Southern United States, being the official state tree of Alabama. This particular species is one of the eight pine tree species that falls under the "Pine" designation as the state tree of North Carolina.

<i>Pinus koraiensis</i> Species of conifer

Pinus koraiensis is a species of pine known commonly as the Korean pine. It is a relic species of the Tertiary, identified as a rare tree species by United Nations. It is native to eastern Asia: Korea, northeastern China, Mongolia, the temperate rainforests of the Russian Far East, and central Japan. In the north of its range, it grows at moderate elevations, typically 600 to 900 metres, whereas further south, it is a mountain tree, growing at 2,000 to 2,600 m elevation in Japan. Other common names include Chinese pinenut. The ancient woodland of P. koraiensis on the earth is about 50 million hectares, and China has about 30 million hectares, accounting for 60%. It is a second-class national key protected plant in China. P. koraiensis is a tree species with high economic and ecological value. The official name in Chinese is "红松 hóng sōng/red pine", because almost every part of it is related to red.

<i>Alnus incana</i> Species of tree

Alnus incana, the grey alder, tag alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners and is a common sight in swamps and wetlands. It is easily distinguished by its small cones, speckled bark and broad leaves.

<i>Pinus armandii</i> Species of conifer

Pinus armandii, the Armand pine or Chinese white pine, is a species of pine native to China, occurring from southern Shanxi west to southern Gansu and south to Yunnan, with outlying populations in Anhui. It grows at altitudes of 2200–3000 m in Taiwan, and it also extends a short distance into northern Burma. In Chinese it is known as "Mount Hua pine" (华山松).

<i>Keteleeria</i> Genus of conifers

Keteleeria is a genus of three species of coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae first described as a genus in 1866.

<i>Osmanthus</i> Genus of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae

Osmanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia with a few species from the Caucasus, New Caledonia, and Sumatra. Osmanthus has been known in China since ancient times with the earliest writings coming from the Warring States period; the book Sea and Mountain. South Mountain states: "Zhaoyao Mountain had a lot of Osmanthus".

<i>Keteleeria davidiana</i> Species of conifer

Keteleeria davidiana is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Taiwan and southeast China, in the provinces of Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. It also occurs in the very northern part of Vietnam. The tree is restricted to hills, mountains, and valleys at elevations of 200–1500 m. Generally, it grows in regions with a more continental climate than the other two Keteleeria species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of China</span> Overview of the wildlife of China

China's vast and diverse landscape is home to a profound variety and abundance of wildlife. As of one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world, China has, according to one measure, 7,516 species of vertebrates including 4,936 fish, 1,269 bird, 562 mammal, 403 reptile and 346 amphibian species. In terms of the number of species, China ranks third in the world in mammals, eighth in birds, seventh in reptiles and seventh in amphibians.

<i>Tsuga chinensis</i> Species of conifer

Tsuga chinensis, commonly referred to as the Taiwan or Chinese hemlock, or in Chinese as tieshan, is a coniferous tree species native to China, Taiwan, Tibet and Vietnam. The tree is quite variable and has many recognised varieties, though some are also maintained to be separate species by certain authorities. The tree was recently discovered in the mountains of northern Vietnam, making that the southernmost extension of its range.

<i>Liquidambar orientalis</i> Species of tree

Liquidambar orientalis, commonly known as oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, that occurs as pure stands mainly in the floodplains of southwestern Turkey and on the Greek island of Rhodes.

<i>Carya myristiciformis</i> Species of tree

Carya myristiciformis, the nutmeg hickory, a tree of the Juglandaceae or walnut family, also called swamp hickory or bitter water hickory, is found as small, possibly relict populations across the Southern United States and in northern Mexico on rich moist soils of higher bottom lands and stream banks. Little is known of the growth rate of nutmeg hickory. Logs and lumber are sold mixed with other hickories. The nuts are an oil-rich food for wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luoyang Bridge</span> Bridge in Fujian, China

The Luoyang Bridge, also known as Wan'an Bridge, is located in Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. The stone bay bridge is situated at the mouth of Luoyang River. Being the first stone bay bridge in China, it enjoys the reputation of "one of the four ancient bridges of China".

References

  1. Farjon, A. (2013). "Keteleeria fortunei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T32416A2818304. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T32416A2818304.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 肖祥希, 何文广, 兰思仁 (2020-06-08). "油杉:沧海桑田最美古树" (in Chinese). www.forestry.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "巫山油杉树年龄超1200岁 寄生名贵草药"蜈蚣金钗"" (in Chinese). www.chinanews.com.cn. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  4. Luu, Nguyen Duc To; Philip Ian Thomas (2004). Conifers of Vietnam. Nhà xuất bản Thế giới. ISBN   1-872291-64-3. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  5. 红树林基金会 (2017-11-06). "福建深沪湾海底古森林遗迹自然保护区" (in Chinese). 湿地保护. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  6. 陳悅、常雪梅 (2021-04-25). "探訪福建深滬灣國家海底古森林遺跡自然保護區" (in Chinese). pic.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-01-05.