Tsuga chinensis

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Chinese hemlock
Tsuga chinensis formosana Zilupe.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Tsuga
Species:
T. chinensis
Binomial name
Tsuga chinensis
(Franch.) Pritzel ex Diels.

Tsuga chinensis, commonly referred to as the Taiwan or Chinese hemlock, is a coniferous tree species native to China, Taiwan, 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.

Contents

Description

Tsuga chinensis is a large tree with bark that is a blackish brown in colour. The scaly bark has irregular longitudinal breaks, and lenticels that are very inconspicuous. The outer bark is about 6 mm thick with alternating tiered layers of pale yellowish brown corky bark, and brown lignified fibrous bark. The newly formed periderm is a purplish red. The inner bark is about 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 inches) thick and pale reddish brown in colour. It is fibrous in texture with minute, almost inconspicuous sclereid, or stone cell groups. The cambium as well as the newly formed phloem are nearly inconspicuous. Freshly cut wood is a pale yellowish white with inconspicuous wood rays. [2]

The branchlets that have leaf-cushions. The leaves are arranged spirally in a manner more or less 2-ranked. They are linear and flat in shape and olive green in colour. The upper side of the leaf is grooved and keeled, while the underside has 2 white stomatic bands. The apex of the leaves are emerginate and they measure 16 to 20 mm (0.63 to 0.79 inches) long. The petioles are crooked. The foliage is very similar to that of T. heterophylla , but T. chinensis has nodding shoots and the stomatic bands are paler and more sparse. Also the colour above is a paler yellowish-green. [3] The stamenate flowers appear singly on one-year-old shoots, or in groups of 1 to 5 on two-year-old shoots. They are a dull purple in colour and measure about 8 mm (0.31 inches). The pistillate flowers are terminal on a very short shoot. They nod, are rosy-purple and are about 6 mm (0.24 inches) in length. The mature cones are green, later turning to red-brown, long-ovoid in shape and measure 2 to 2.5 mm (0.079 to 0.098 inches) long by about 1 cm (0.39 inches) wide. They are pendulous and the cone scales are large and suborbicular with longitudinal streaks. The bracts are small and 2 lobed at the apex. The seeds are winged and measure about 7 mm (0.28 inches) long with the wing included. [2] [3]

Range and habitat

T. chinensis is found in Taiwan, China (from Tibet to southern Shanxi province and Guangdong province), and northern Ha Giang province in Vietnam. In the very south of their range they are only found high in the mountains. For example, in Vietnam the tree is only found in mountains 1,300 to 1,700 m (4,300 to 5,600 feet) above sea level. [4] [5] In China it is present at altitudes of 1,000 to 3,500 m (3,300 to 11,500 feet) in the following provinces: Anhui, Fujian, southern Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, northern Guizhou, western Henan, western Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, southern Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, and Zhejiang. This comprises the southern half of the country with a few population farther north. It is found primarily in mixed forests near river basins and in mountains and valleys. [4] In Taiwan it is found mainly in Nantou County and Taoyuan City at heights of 1,700 to 3,500 m (5,600 to 11,500 feet) in mixed broadleaf forests. It can be found in Taiwans's Yushan National Park and Lalashan Preserve, as well as in China's Hailuogou Glacier Park in Sichuan province. [6]

Taxonomy

There are a number of varieties of T. chinensis, though there is much dispute over which are valid and whether some constitute distinct species or not. All in all there are six varieties, though not all are accepted universally. These are:

Uses

The timber obtained from T. chinensis is used in construction, furniture making, and as a support in mines. The bark is high in tannins, which is often extracted and used as a dye. The trunk is used as a source of resin. In addition, the roots, trunk, and branches are all used in the production of aromatic oils due to their pleasing scent. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tsuga</i> Genus of conifers

Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae of Pinaceae, the pine family. The English-language common name "hemlock" arose from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock. Unlike the latter, Tsuga species are not poisonous.

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

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<i>Tsuga mertensiana</i> Species of tree found in western North America

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

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<i>Juniperus squamata</i> Species of Juniper

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<i>Larix griffithii</i> Species of conifer

Larix griffithii, the Sikkim larch, is a species of larch, native to the eastern Himalaya in eastern Nepal, Sikkim, western Bhutan and southwestern China, growing at 1,800–4,100 metres (5,900–13,500 ft) in altitude.

<i>Juniperus deppeana</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus deppeana is a small to medium-sized tree reaching 10–15 metres in height. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

<i>Juniperus flaccida</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus flaccida is a large shrub or small tree reaching 5–10 metres tall. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the extreme southwest of Texas, United States. It grows at moderate altitudes of 800–2,600 metres, on dry soils.

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

Pinus massoniana is a species of pine, native to Taiwan, a wide area of central and southern China, and northern Vietnam.

<i>Taxus wallichiana</i> Species of conifer

Taxus wallichiana, the Himalayan yew, is a species of yew, native to the Himalaya and parts of south-east Asia. The species has a variety of uses in traditional medicine. It is currently classified as endangered by the IUCN.

<i>Calocedrus formosana</i> Species of conifer

Calocedrus formosana is a conifer endemic to Taiwan.

<i>Calocedrus macrolepis</i> Species of conifer

Calocedrus macrolepis, commonly known as Chinese incense-cedar; is a species of conifer native to southwest China, northern Vietnam, northern Laos, extreme northern Thailand and northeastern Myanmar.

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

Tsuga diversifolia, commonly known as the northern Japanese hemlock, or in Japanese, kometsuga (米栂), is a species of conifer native to the Japanese islands of Honshū, Kyūshū, and Shikoku. In Europe and North America, the species is sometimes employed as tree for the garden and has been in cultivation since 1861.

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

Tsuga sieboldii, also called the southern Japanese hemlock, or in Japanese, simply tsuga (栂), is a conifer native to the Japanese islands of Honshū, Kyūshū, Shikoku and Yakushima. In Europe and North America the tree is sometimes used as an ornamental and has been in cultivation since 1861.

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

Tsuga dumosa, commonly called the Himalayan hemlock or in Chinese, Yunnan tieshan, is a species of conifer native to the eastern Himalayas. It occurs in parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam and Tibet. Within its native range the tree is used for construction as well as for furniture. In Europe and North America, it is occasionally encountered as an ornamental species and was first brought to the United Kingdom in 1838.

<i>Abies chensiensis</i> Species of conifer

Abies chensiensis, the Shensi fir, is a fir native to Gansu, Hubei, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan in China, and Arunachal Pradesh in India. It was first described by Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem in 1892.

<i>Chamaecyparis formosensis</i> Species of conifer

Chamaecyparis formosensis is a species of Chamaecyparis, endemic to Taiwan, where it grows in the central mountains at moderate to high altitudes of 1000–2900 m. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-cutting for its valuable timber.

<i>Juniperus monosperma</i> Species of conifer

Juniperus monosperma is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma (Panhandle), and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude.

<i>Nageia wallichiana</i> Species of conifer

Nageia wallichiana is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a tree 10–54 m high, found in Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Nageia wallichiana is the most widely distributed species among the seven species in the genus Nageia. If the land areas of China and Japan are excluded, its distribution nearly coincides with that of the genus and includes both the western outliers in India and the easternmost part on Normanby Island. It is one of the most extensive conifer ranges recognized and is similar to Dacrycarpus imbricatus and Podocarpus neriifolius.

<i>Pinus armandii <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> mastersiana</i> Variety of conifer

Pinus armandii var. mastersiana, also known by the common names of the Taiwan high mountain pine, Taiwan mountain pine, or Masters' pine, is a rare variety of Pinus armandii in the family Pinaceae that is endemic to portions of northern and central Taiwan.

References

  1. Yang, Y.; Luscombe, D. (2013). "Tsuga chinensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T42432A2979831. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42432A2979831.en . Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 Liu, Yeh-ching (1970). Colored Illustrations of Important Trees in Taiwan. Taiwan.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 Mitchell, Alan (1974). Trees of Britain & Northern Europe. London: Harper Collins Publishers. p. 143. ISBN   0-00-219213-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wu, Zheng-yi & Raven, Peter H. (1999). "Tsuga chinensis". Flora of China. Beijing: Science Press. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  5. "Two rare pine species found in northern mountainous province". VietnamNet Bridge. 2005-10-16. Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  6. 1 2 Earle, Christopher J. (2006). "Tsuga chinensis". The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  7. Farjon, Aljos (1998). World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers. Richmond, U.K.: Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.