Cupressus chengiana

S.Y. Hu 1964

Common names

岷江柏木 min jiang bai mu [Chinese] (Fu et al. 1999).

Taxonomic notes

The var. chengiana has syn. C. fallax Franco 1968; C. c. var. kansouensis Silba 1994; C. c. var. wehchuanhsiensis Silba 1994 (Farjon 1998).

The variety jiangensis (N. Zhao) Silba 1981 has syn. C. jiangensis N. Zhao 1980 (Farjon 1998).

Description

"Trees to 30 m tall; trunk to 1 m d.b.h.; branchlets densely arranged, not glaucous, terete, ultimate ones spreading, ascending, or drooping but not pendulous, stout, 1.2-2 mm in diam. Leaves in 4 ranks, scalelike, 1-1.5 mm on ultimate branchlets, arched (gibbous) and with a conspicuous, often darker central abaxial gland, apex usually slightly obtuse, dull green, not glaucous. Pollen cones 2-4 mm; microsporophylls 12-16. Seed cones brown or reddish brown when ripe, not glaucous, globose to subglobose or oblong-ovoid, 1.2-2 cm in diam.; cone scales 8-14, each fertile scale with numerous seeds; bracts with a small, free mucro at apex. Seeds ovate-triangular, flattened, 3-5 × 2-4 mm. 2n = 22*" (Fu et al. 1999).

Distribution and Ecology

China: S Gansu and the Min He watershed of Sichuan (type variety); Sichuan (var. jiangensis) (I'm not sure, but with a name like that it probably occurs in the Jinsha Jiang area) (Farjon 1998); at 800-2,900 m elevation (Fu et al. 1999). Hardy to Zone 7 (cold hardiness limit between -17.7°C and -12.2°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001). Var. jiangensis is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

The epithet honors Chinese botanist W. C. Cheng (1908-1983).

Citations

Hu, S.Y. 1964. Notes on the Flora of China IV. Taiwania 10: 57. Available: Cupressus Conservation Project, accessed 2019.03.01.

See also

The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.