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Cupressus chengiana

Cupressus chengiana - Cheng cypress
  • Cupressus chengiana - Cheng cypress - Click to enlarge
  • Cupressus chengiana tree - Click to enlarge

€30.00

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Product Information
Specification

 

Scientific name: Cupressus chengiana  S.Y.Hu  1964

Synonyms: Chamaecyparis chengiana (S.Y.Hu) Gaussen, Cupressus chengiana var. chengiana, Cupressus chengiana subsp. kansouensis (Silba) Silba, Cupressus chengiana var. kansouensis Silba, Cupressus chengiana var. wenchuanhsiensis Silba

Common names: Cheng cypress (English), Min jiang bai mu (Chinese)

 

Description

Tree to 30 m tall, with trunk to 1.7 m in diameter. Bark grayish brown, ridged and furrowed, peeling in thin, narrow strips. Crown dense, conical, with horizontal branches, broadening and thinning with age. Branchlets cylindrical or slightly flattened, 1-1.5(-2) mm in diameter, branching mostly from just two rows of leaves, but not particularly giving an impression of fernlike sprays. Scale leaves on branchlets 1-1.5 mm long, bright green, the back with a more or less conspicuous but relatively inactive gland. Pollen cones 2-3(-4) mm long, with four to eight pairs of pollen scales, each with three or four pollen sacs. Seed cones spherical or a little elongated, (0,5-)1-2 cm long, brown to reddish brown at maturity, sometimes waxy before this, with (three or) four or five (to seven) pairs of seed scales, these with a low, rounded point on the face, the surface otherwise smooth or slightly warty. Seeds four to eight per scale, 3-5 mm long, brown, not waxy, the wings to 1 mm wide. Cotyledons two.

This variety is found in China: Sichuan, Min basin. Mixed conifer forests of dry valleys and slopes of the of Min River drainage; 1,200-2,700 m.

 

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Critically Endangered

The area of occupancy (AOO) is less than 1,000 km² with less than 10 severely fragmented locations.  A continuing decline in the number of mature individuals is suspected due to illegal logging. Past reductions are known to have occurred but have not been quantified. Consequently, this variety (and the species as this variety accounts for the vast majority of the specie's distribution and population) is assessed as Critically Endangered.

It is found in small, pure stands in some valleys, but more commonly on rocky slopes or cliffs associated with Koelreuteria paniculata, Morus mongolica, Campylotropis delavayi, Bauhinia faberi, Cotoneaster multiflorus, and Cotoneaster gracilis; in non-acidic brown soils over granites, quartzites and limestones. Based on verified herbarium collections, the altitudinal range is extensive, ranging from ca. 1200 m to 2750 m a.s.l [Atlas of the Gymnosperms of China gives 900-2800 m asl]. The climate is characterized by cold winters and cool to warm summers, with a distinct alternation of dry and rainy seasons; annual precipitation varies between 500-750(-1000 mm), with a 50-70% moisture deficit.

This variety is known from ca. 9 different locations where natural populations are now mostly restricted to more inaccessible sites such as canyons and exposed cliffs. Overcutting is the main cause of its decline but the habitat is now protected. Illegal logging may still be a problem in certain locations. Natural regeneration is thought to be poor.

Timber of this species is valued for building and the species has been exploited for its larger, more or less straight trunks for many centuries. On a small scale trees have been planted as individuals or in groups in villages.

This variety is planted in villages within its natural range in Sichuan. Since 1998, all old-growth forest in China has been legally protected.

 

Cultivars: -

 

References

  • Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
  • Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.

Product CodeCUPGRYRJ76
Weight1.5 kg
Height20 - 30 cm
PropagationGraft

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