Cunninghamia lanceolata description

Line drawing, var. konishii (Li 1975).

Foliage on a tree (var. konishii) in the Seattle arboretum. Image height 25 cm [C.J. Earle].

Bark on the above tree. Image width 25 cm [C.J. Earle].

Common Names

China fir, KOYO-ZAN ZOKU (Japanese) (Walker 1976), shan mu (Chinese) (Wu and Raven 1999), Sa moc, Sa mu (Vietnamese) (FIPI 1996).

Taxonomic notes

Until 1999, Cunninghamia was generally regarded as consisting of two extremely similar species, C. konishii of Taiwan and C. lanceolata of mainland Asia. However, analysis of chloroplast DNA for samples from 4 different sources in mainland China and 4 different sources in Taiwan has shown that both "species" were paraphyletic (Lu et al. 1999). The recent Flora of China (Wu and Raven 1999) treats lanceolata and konishii as varieties of C. lanceolata. That distinction is made here as well, but the findings of Lu et al. (1999) suggest that even a varietal distinction may not be supported, and further analyses may reduce lanceolata and konishii to the status of ecotypes, or may suggest an alternative organization of the populations.

Cunninghamia R. Brown ex Richard & A. Richard in A. Richard 1826 is thus a monotypic genus represented by C. lanceolata (Lambert) Hooker 1827. It has two varieties, C. lanceolata var. lanceolata and C. lanceolata var. konishii (Hayata) Fujita.

Synonymy for var. lanceolata: Pinus lanceolata Lambert 1803, Belis jaculifolia Salisbury, B. lanceolata (Lambert) Hoffmannsegg, Cunninghamia chinensis de Vos, C. lanceolata var. corticosa Z.Y. Que & J.X. Li, C. sinensis R. Brown ex Richard & A. Richard, C. unicanaliculata D.Y. Wang & H.L. Liu, C. unicanaliculata var. pyramidalis D.Y. Wang & H.L. Liu; ?Larix chinensis Miller (1768) not Beissner (1896), Raxopitys cunninghamii J. Nelson (Wu and Raven 1999).

Synonymy for var. konishii: Cunninghamia konishii Hayata 1908, C. kawakamii Hayata (Wu and Raven 1999).

Description

Trees to 50 m tall and 300 cm dbh, with conical or pyramidal, dark green crowns. Bark dark gray to dark brown, or reddish brown, longitudinally fissured, cracking into irregular flakes and exposing a aromatic, yellowish or reddish inner bark. Branches whorled, spreading, pendulous at the ends. Leaves stiff, densely and spirally arranged, but spreading in 2 ranks, glossy deep green adaxially, narrowly linear-lanceolate, straight or slightly falcate, 0.8-6.5(-7) cm × 1.5-5 mm, midvein green abaxially, 0.3-1.2 mm wide, flat with median longitudinal keel throughout, stomatal bands present on both surfaces, bands on adaxial surface 0.5-1.5 mm wide, of 7-28 rows of stomata, white powdery or not, bands on abaxial surface 1.2-2.8 mm apart, 0.3-0.8(-1) mm from leaf margin, not or rarely white powdery, base decurrent, margin denticulate, sometimes indistinctly so, especially on old trees, with 18-55(-90) teeth per side, apex usually symmetric and spinescent, spine 0.3-2 mm. Pollen cone fascicles terminal, 1-3(-5) together, broadly obovoid, each of 8-20 cones, occasionally a few also around base of seed cone; peduncle 2-4 mm; cones narrowly oblong-conical. Seed cones terminal, 1-4 together, at pollination shortly cylindric-ovoid, ca. 12 × 8 mm, green, later turning brown-reddish and becoming ovoid or subglobose, 1.8-4.5 × 1.2-4 cm; bracts coriaceous, glaucous or glossy, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, base with short claw 1/5-1/2 × total length of bract, distal part gradually narrowed toward pointed apex, 1/14-1/5 × total length of bract. Seeds 3 per scale, dark brown, oblong or narrowly ovate, 5-6 × ca. 4 mm, narrowly winged laterally. Pollination Jan-May, seed maturity Aug-Nov, cotyledons 2 (Li 1975, Walker 1976, FIPI 1996, Wu and Raven 1999).

"A very variable species: specimens occur with spinescent or obtuse leaf apices and with or without white stomatal bands on the adaxial leaf surface. The latter character is at least partly dependent on the age of the tree and the position of the leaf on the tree: leaves exposed to sunlight have less conspicuous adaxial stomatal bands than those in shade, as do leaves of old trees. Variants also occur with strongly glaucous leaves" (Wu and Raven 1999).

Var. lanceolata	Abaxial stomatal bands of leaves with (14-)16-28 rows of stomata; seed cones 2.5-4.5 × 2.5-4 cm.	Var. konishii	Abaxial stomatal bands of leaves with 7-15(-20) rows of stomata; seed cones 1.8-3 × 1.2-2.5 cm.

Range

China, Vietnam, Laos, perhaps Cambodia; widely introduced in Japan, and widely planted throughout China, so that its original native distribution is not known.

Var. lanceolata occurs in China: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; Vietnam (N), and perhaps Cambodia and Laos. It is also widely introduced in Taiwan. Habitat includes forests, rocky hillsides and roadsides at 200-2800 m elevation (Wu and Raven 1999). It often grows as a forest dominant, and competes best on well drained sandy and loamy soils (FIPI 1996).

Var. konishii occurs in mixed broad-leaved forests or forms small pure stands, frequently associated with Chamaecyparis formosensis and C. obtusa var. formosana, often planted, at 1300-2000 m elevation in China: Fujian, C and N Taiwan, N Laos, and perhaps Vietnam (Wu and Raven 1999).

Big Tree

The only tree for which I have seen a measurement is on ornamental specimen in Capitol Park, Sacramento, California which was 31.7 m tall and 88 cm dbh (104 feet tall and 108.75 inch girth) in 2007 (Arthur L. Jacobson e-mail 2007.08.24).

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

The wood is pale yellow to white, density 0.4-0.5, soft but durable, easily worked, and resistant to insects and termites. It is used in house-building, for furniture, floor, panels, packaging, and coffins. It is suitable for reforestation and planting along the roads of mountainous provinces, in subtropical evergreen, coniferous and mixed broad-leaved forests (FIPI 1996). It is the most important fast-growing timber tree of the warm regions S of the Chang Jiang valley; it is propagated by seed, cuttings, or suckers. The wood is strongly resistant to rot, is not eaten by termites, and is easily worked; it is used in constructing buildings, bridges, ships, and lamp posts, in furniture manufacture, and for wood fiber (Wu and Raven 1999).

Observations

Var. lanceolata:

Fairly common in the mountains of Sichuan, e.g. the ranges east of the Dadu River (where I have seen it).

Taroko National Park in Taiwan also looks like an interesting place to see it. Other Taiwan locations, recorded in the HAST Database, include:

Hualien Xian: Taroko National Park: en route from Hsinpiyang to Pilu. Elevation 1500-2050 m.

Xinchu Xian: Wufeng Hsiang: between Tuchang and Kuanwu. Broadleaf forest; vast slope cleared for Prunus orchard. Elevation 1300 m.

Nantou Xian: Jenai Hsiang: National Chung Hsing. University Hui-Sun Experimental Forest. Along the forest road to Tang-kungpei; mixed coniferous-broadleaf forest. 121°02'17"E, 24°05'20"N. Elevation:600-800 m. Forest roadside. Plantation tree ca. 15-20 m tall; DBH ca. 10-20 cm cone ca. 2.5 cm diameter.

Var. konishii:

N Laos (Houa phan province) has one location, in a small pure stand of montane forest.

In Vietnam, specimens have only been collected at Bu Huong mountain (Nghe An prov.), in dense subtropical forest, mixed with Fokienia hodginsii, Dacrydium elatum, and Quercus bambusaefolia (FIPI 1996).

For Taiwan, the HAST Database reports the following collections:

Miaoli Xian: Kuanwu. Specimens collected from cultivated trees. Elev 2000 m.

Xinchu Xian: Wufeng Hsiang: Shihlu Village. Secondary broadleaf forest. 121°19'15"E, 24°05'52"N. Elevation 1485-1565 m. At edge of Cryptomeria plantation. Tree ca. 2 m tall; cones immature, green.

Ilan Xian: Tatung Xiang: Chilanshan. near the river valley by 170 forest Rd. 1/2 K. Elevation 1800 m. In Cunninghamia konishii cut over forest. Tree ca. 70 cm dbh.

Remarks

Named for James Cunningham, who discovered C. lanceolata in China in 1702 (Walker 1976).

Var. lanceolata is listed as threatened in Viet Nam by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.