Keteleeria fortunei

(A. Murray) Carrière 1866

Common names

Taxonomic notes

Syn: K. cyclolepis; K. oblonga (Silba 1986); Abies fortunei A. Murray; Abietia fortunei Kent. (Dallimore et al. 1967).

Description

Trees, 24 m tall, with habit resembling Cedrus libani. Bark corky. Branches horizontal and spreading. Branchlets orange-red, slender, with scattered hairs. Buds ovoid, rounded at the apex, with numerous keeled scales. Leaves of young trees linear, stiff, 2.5-3 cm long, with spiny tips. Leaves of mature trees 12-31 mm, rounded or shortly pointed at the apex. Cones cylindrical, 10-18 × 3-5 cm (or 7.5 cm wide when expanded), on stout, hairy peduncles about 2.5 cm long, purple or brownish when mature; scales larger and broader at the apex than K. davidiana, the widest part (about 3 cm) being above the middle, the upper margin rounded and slightly toothed. Seeds about 2 cm long with a 3 cm wing, both seed and wing larger than in K. davidiana, bright glossy brown in colour, the seed greyish beneath (Dallimore et al. 1967).

Range

China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang); Hong Kong; Viet Nam (WCMC 1998). In S China, found in mountains near Fuzhou, where it was seen by Fortune in 1844, who distributed seeds (Dallimore et al. 1967).

Big tree

I have no data for trees in habitat. An ornamental tree at the Melbourne Botanical Garden was measured at 103.0 cm dbh and 15.6 m tall (R. Van Pelt email 2009.04.14).

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

Carrière, E.A. 1866. Rev. Hort. 37: 449.

WCMC = World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Trees database, accessed 1998.10.01.

See also

Farjon (1989).

Farjon (1990) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.

Wu and Raven (1999).