Cunninghamia lanceolata

Last updated

Cunninghamia lanceolata
Cunninghamia.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Cupressales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Cunninghamia
Species:
C. lanceolata
Binomial name
Cunninghamia lanceolata
(Lamb.) Hook. [2]
Synonyms [2]
  • Abies lanceolata(Lamb.) Poir.
  • Belis jaculifoliaSalisb.
  • Belis lanceolata(Lamb.) Hoffmanns.
  • Cunninghamia jaculifoliaDruce
  • Cunninghamia sinensisRich.
  • Cunninghamia unicanaliculataD.Y.Wang & H.L.Liu
  • Larix chinensisMill.
  • Pinus abiesLour.
  • Pinus lanceolataLamb.
  • Raxopitys cunninghamiiJ.Nelson

Cunninghamia lanceolata is a species of tree in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. It is native to south-central and southeast China. [2] Ornamentally C. lanceolata is commonly planted as a specimen tree in temperate zones. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Cunninghamia konishii is treated as a distinct species by some sources, although it has also been suggested that it is conspecific with C. lanceolata. [4] [5] Though C. konishii may be treated as the same species, its primary distribution is in Taiwan, where as C. lanceolata is found in mainland China. [6] Cunninghamia lanceolata was originally described in 1827 by English botanist William J. Hooker. [7]

Description

Cunninghamia lanceolata, commonly known as Chinese fir, is a tall conifer able to reach heights of 150 feet (46 meters) in mild climates. In North America, the height typically ranges from 30 to 50 feet (9.1 to 15.2 meters). [3] In native forest land in China heights can reach up to 150 feet (46 meters) and 30 to 70 feet (9.1 to 21.3 meters) in a cultivated forest. The crown of the China Fir forms a pyramidal shape. The bark color typically ranges from dark gray to dark browns. [8] Foliage consist of spiral leaf arrangements of green lanceolate shaped leaves. [9] Male cones form in clusters of 10 to 30 while female cones form in clusters of 2 to 3. Seed cones are small and almost unnoticeable when first pollinated. The cones are mature after 7 months and range in size from 1 to 1.8 inches (2.5 to 4.6 centimetres) in length. [10]

Distribution

Cunninghamia lanceolata is found in central China stretching towards the East Coast of China (including the Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang regions). [11]

Ethnobotany

In China, C. lanceolata is sought after for its soft yet highly durable wood and having a scent similar to the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica). [10] Cunninghamia lanceolata has been included in Chinese folklore for over 1000 years and the roots, branches, leaves and bark from the tree have been used for pain relief. Recent studies support the use of various parts of C. lanceolata to treat pain as well as rheumatic conditions. [12] Cunninghamia lanceolata heartwood is also notable for its resistance to termites, rot, and numerous fungi.

Cultivation

In China, roughly 30 percent of all timber plantations are composed of C. lanceolata, which covers an estimated 9 million hectares, primarily in southern China. The China fir is responsible for around 25 percent of all Chinese commercial timber production. Within the past 70 years plantations have tripled in area due to widespread planting and reforestation. [13] Cunninghamia lanceolata is also used for carbon sequestration. Under the use of near natural forest management (NNFM), soils have the ability to sequester carbon, and can be utilized to combat climate change. Carbon sequestration from NNFM has been shown to increase carbon stocks in soils with the aid of litter decomposition in topsoil. [14]

Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca', blue China fir, is a horticultural variety that is differentiated by it blueish foliage. [15] It grows similarly to China fir with the exception of better winter hardiness. [16] There are no known pests or diseases of major concern for C. lanceolata. [17] Brown foliage near the bole is caused from the tree holding onto dead needles for a number of years as the autumn season approaches. [18] As China fir matures and grows in height as well as width, the crown opens and spaces out and branches become more pendulous despite forming a pyramidal crown at a younger age. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas fir</span> Species of tree

The Douglas fir is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three varieties: coast Douglas-fir, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and Mexican Douglas-fir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conifer</span> Group of cone-bearing seed plants

Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta, also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth. The great majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Examples include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. The division Pinophyta contains seven families, 60 to 65 genera, and more than 600 living species.

<i>Thuja</i> Genus of conifers

Thuja is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae. There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to Thujopsis. Members are commonly known as arborvitaes, thujas or cedars.

Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word cypress is derived from Old French cipres, which was imported from Latin cypressus, the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος (kyparissos). Cypress trees are a large classification of conifers, encompassing the trees and shrubs from the cypress family (Cupressaceae) and many others with the word cypress in their common name. Many cypress trees have needle-like, evergreen foliage and acorn-like seed cones.

<i>Metasequoia</i> Genus of conifers

Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, is a genus of fast-growing coniferous trees, one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. The living species Metasequoia glyptostroboides is native to Lichuan county in Hubei province, China. Although the shortest of the redwoods, it grows to at least 165 feet in height. Local villagers refer to the original tree from which most others derive as Shuǐshān (水杉), or "water fir", which is part of a local shrine. Since its rediscovery in 1944, the dawn redwood has become a popular ornamental, with examples found in various parks in a variety of countries.

<i>Metasequoia glyptostroboides</i> Species of conifer

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, endangered deciduous conifer. It is the sole living species of the genus Metasequoia, one of three genera in the subfamily Sequoioideae of the family Cupressaceae. It now survives in the wild only in wet lower slopes and montane river and stream valleys in the border region of Hubei and Hunan provinces and Chongqing municipality in south-central China, notably in Lichuan county in Hubei. Although the shortest of the redwoods, it can grow to 167 ft (51 m) in height.

<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, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. 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.

<i>Chamaecyparis thyoides</i> Species of plant

Chamaecyparis thyoides, a species of Cupressaceae, is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to Georgia and along the Gulf of Mexico coast from Florida to Mississippi. It is one of two species of Chamaecyparis found in North America. C. thyoides resides on the East Coast and C. lawsoniana can be found on the West Coast. There are two geographically isolated subspecies, treated by some botanists as distinct species, by others at just varietal rank: Chamaecyparis thyoides thyoides and Chamaecyparis thyoides henryae (H.L.Li) E.Murray The species grows in forested wetlands where they tend to dominate the canopy. The trees are associated with a wide variety of other wetland species because of their wide north-south range. The remaining populations are now found mostly in remote locations that would be difficult to harvest, so its popularity as a source of lumber has decreased.

<i>Cunninghamia</i> Genus of conifers

Cunninghamia is a genus of one or two living species of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae. They are native to China, northern Vietnam and Laos, and perhaps also Cambodia. They may reach 50 m (160 ft) in height. In vernacular use, it is most often known as Cunninghamia, but is also sometimes called "China-fir". The genus name Cunninghamia honours Dr. James Cunningham, a British doctor who introduced this species into cultivation in 1702 and botanist Allan Cunningham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qinling</span> Mountain range in Shaanxi, China

The Qinling or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan, are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow River systems, providing a natural boundary between North and South China and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on earth.

<i>Abies pinsapo</i> Species of plant in the family Pinaceae

Abies pinsapo, the Spanish fir, is a species of tree in the family Pinaceae, native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. Related to other species of Mediterranean firs, it appears at altitudes of 900–1,800 metres (3,000–5,900 ft) in the Sierra de Grazalema in the Province of Cádiz and the Sierra de las Nieves and Sierra Bermeja, both near Ronda in the province of Málaga. In Morocco, it is limited to the Rif Mountains at altitudes of 1,400–2,100 metres (4,600–6,900 ft) on Jebel Tissouka and Jebel Tazaot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue spruce</span> Species of tree

The blue spruce, also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturally in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. It has been widely introduced elsewhere and is used as an ornamental tree in many places far beyond its native range. It does well in zones warmer than 7 where summer heat is moderate, as at San Francisco. The blue spruce has blue-green colored needles and is a coniferous tree.

<i>Cedrus atlantica</i> Species of conifer

Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria. A majority of the modern sources treat it as a distinct species Cedrus atlantica, but some sources consider it a subspecies of Lebanon cedar.

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

Abies procera, the noble fir, also called red fir and Christmas tree, is a species of fir native to the Cascade Range and Pacific Coast Ranges of the northwestern Pacific Coast of the United States. It occurs at altitudes of 300–1,500 meters (980–4,920 ft).

<i>Cupressus pygmaea</i> Species of conifer

Cupressus pygmaea, the Mendocino cypress or pygmy cypress, is a taxon of disputed status in the genus Cupressus endemic to certain coastal terraces and coastal mountain ranges of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in northwestern California. It is a variable tree, and closely related to Cupressus abramsiana and Cupressus goveniana, enough to sometimes be considered conspecific with them.

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

Calocedrus decurrens, with the common names incense cedar and California incense cedar, is a species of coniferous tree native to western North America. It is the most widely known species in the genus, and is often simply called incense cedar without the regional qualifier.

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

Calocedrus formosana is a conifer endemic to Taiwan.

<i>Cunninghamia konishii</i> Species of conifer

Cunninghamia konishii is an endangered species of tree in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. It is native to southeast China (Fujian), Taiwan, Laos and Vietnam.

<i>Schima superba</i> Species of plant in the family Theaceae

Schima superba is a species of flowering plant in the tea family Theaceae, native to subtropical areas of Vietnam, southern China, Hainan, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands. With Pinus massoniana it often dominates forests from 100 to 800 m in elevation. It is used as a street tree in a number of southern Chinese cities.

References

  1. Zhang, D.; Christian, T. (2013). "Cunninghamia lanceolata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T42215A2962265. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42215A2962265.en . Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2020-06-28
  3. 1 2 "China Fir". China Fir. Archived from the original on 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  4. Lu, S.Y.; Chiang, T.Y.; Hong, K.H. & Hu, T.W. (1999), "Re-examination of the taxonomic status of Cunninghamia konishii and C. lanceolata based on the RFLPs of a chloroplast trnD-trnT spacer", Taiwan Journal of Forest Science, 14: 13–19, archived from the original on 2014-07-14
  5. Chung, J. D.; Lin, T. P.; Tan, Y. C.; Lin, M. Y. & Hwang, S. Y. (2004), "Genetic diversity and biogeography of Cunninghamia konishii (Cupressaceae), an island species in Taiwan: A comparison with Cunninghamia lanceolata, a mainland species in China" (PDF), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 33 (3): 791–801, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.08.011, PMID   15522804
  6. "Cunninghamia konishii | Threatened Conifers of the World (en-GB)". threatenedconifers.rbge.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  7. "Hooker, William Jackson | International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  8. "Cunninghamia lanceolata (China-fir) description". www.conifers.org. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  9. "Cunninghamia lanceolata - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  10. 1 2 "Cunninghamia / China fir | Conifer Genus". American Conifer Society. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  11. "Cunninghamia lanceolata Chinese Fir PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  12. Xin, Hai-Liang; Zhai, Xiao-Feng; Zheng, Xu; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Yu-Liang; Wang, Zhuo (August 2012). "Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activity of Total Flavone of Cunninghamia lanceolata". Molecules. 17 (8): 8842–8850. doi: 10.3390/molecules17088842 . PMC   6268220 . PMID   22832885.
  13. Lu, Yuhao; Coops, Nicholas C.; Wang, Tongli; Wang, Guangyu (February 2015). "A Process-Based Approach to Estimate Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) Distribution and Productivity in Southern China under Climate Change". Forests. 6 (2): 360–379. doi: 10.3390/f6020360 . hdl: 2429/69631 .
  14. Ming, Angang; Yang, Yujing; Liu, Shirong; Nong, You; Li, Hua; Tao, Yi; Sun, Dongjing; Lei, Liqun; Zeng, Ji; An, Ning (2019). "The Impact of Near Natural Forest Management on the Carbon Stock and Sequestration Potential of Pinus massoniana (Lamb.) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. Plantations". Forests. 10 (8): 626. doi: 10.3390/f10080626 .
  15. "Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University". landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  16. "Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' / blue China fir | Conifer Trinomial". American Conifer Society. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  17. "Cunninghamia lanceolata Chinese Fir PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  18. Watson, Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. (17 June 2014). "Cunninghamia lanceolata: China Fir". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  19. "Cunninghamia lanceolata (China Fir) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-02.