Amentotaxus hatuyenensis

Hiep 1996

Common names

Dẻ tùng sọc nâu rộng, Sam bông sọc nâu rộng [Vietnamese].

Taxonomic notes

This species is very similar to Amentotaxus poilanei, another Vietnamese endemic. Both are extremely similar to A. yunnanensis and might be more appropriately described as varieties or subspecies of that taxon.

Description

As for A. yunnanensis, except that the pollen cones are borne in 10-15 pairs on ca. 10 cm long racemes, instead of in 12-20 pairs on 10-15 cm long racemes; also, the leaves spread from the shoot at a more obtuse angle, 70-90° rather than 50-70° (Farjon 2010).

Distribution and Ecology

Viet Nam: Ha Giang province. It is known from steep limestone karst mountains at 1,000-1,500 m elevation, with frequent fog and annual precipitation of about 1,800 mm, and temperatures of 15-18°C. It grows with conifers including Amentotaxus yunnanensis, Cephalotaxus mannii, Pinus fenzeliana, Tsuga chinensis, Nageia fleuryi, Podocarpus neriifolius, P. pilgeri, and Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, as well as with various angiosperm trees and a rich epiphytic flora (Hiep et al. 2004, Farjon 2010).

The IUCN does not treat this species as distinct from A. yunnanensis and thus overestimates the extent and abundance of that taxon. The IUCN formerly assessed A. hatuyenensis as "Endangered" based on a population size of fewer than 250 mature plants, and occurrence in only a few locations (Nguyen et al 2013).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.02.23.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2023.02.23.

Observations

This species reportedly occurs in the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-Park.

Remarks

The epithet refers to Ha Tuyen province, which contained the type locality. Ha Tuyen province was subdivided in 1992, and the known distribution of this species is now in Ha Giang province.

Citations

Hiep, N.T. 1996. Flore du Cambodge, Laos et Viet Nam 28:126.

Nguyen, T.H., Phan, K.L., Nguyen, Q.H. & Thomas, P. 2013. Amentotaxus hatuyenensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/42602/0, accessed 2013.01.30, now defunct.

See also

The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.

Luu and Thomas 2004 provide a few brief references to occurrence and ecology.