Tsuga chinensis
Chinese hemlock ( Tsuga chinensis)
The Chinese hemlock or Taiwan Hemlock ( Tsuga chinensis) is a coniferous tree from the species of hemlock. Their natural habitat is in China and Taiwan.
Description
Chinese hemlock are up to 50 meters high trees with trunks of up to 1.6 meters in diameter at breast height. The bark is dark gray and torn along and flaking, the crown is pyramidal. Young twigs are brownish yellow or gray yellow and gray yellow, gray to brownish gray in the second and third year. The branches are more slender and hairy. The winter buds are sessile and short-stalked and grow at the base of the branches. The needles are arranged in two rows, and especially 12 to 27 mm long and 2-3 mm wide. They are entire, and show gray-green stomatal strips on the bottom. The tip may be blunt trained to notched. Seeds pins 1.5 to 4.0 centimeters long with diameters of 1.2 to 2.5 centimeters. They are bright young green when ripe and pale gray-yellow to pale brown. They are ovate - rounded, cylindrical to oblong- obovate. The seed scales are 0.9 to 1.2 inches long and 0.8 to 1.1 centimeters wide, squeezed plump, roundish square to roundish pentagonal with rounded or truncated tip. They are arranged densely in the middle of the pin. The bracts are wedge-shaped or inverted - rhombic - triangular. The seeds are 7-9 mm long with the oblique - ovate wings. The pollen released in April, The cones ripen in October.
Distribution and ecology
The range of the species is located in China and Taiwan. There you can find them in 1000 to 3500 meters of altitude on mountains, in mixed forests, valleys and along rivers.
In the IUCN Red List, the Chinese hemlock is listed as not at risk ( " Lower Risk / least concern "). It is noted, however, that a re-evaluation of risks is required.
Systematics and history of research
The Chinese hemlock ( Tsuga chinensis ) is a species of the genus of hemlock ( Tsuga ). There she is assigned to the subgenus Tsuga. By different authors different varieties of the species are attributed. Aljos Farjon Tsuga chinensis var formosana sees as identical with the type and recognizes two other varieties to: Tsuga chinensis var oblongisquamata Cheng & Fu and Tsuga chinensis var robusta Cheng & Fu. Zheng -yi Wu and Peter H. Raven seen in the Flora of China Tsuga oblongisquamata as a separate species and distinguish the following varieties:
- Tsuga chinensis var chinensis
- Tsuga chinensis var formosana ( Hayata ) H.L. Li & Keng H.
- Tsuga chinensis var patens ( Downie ) Fu & Li
- Tsuga chinensis var forrestii ( Downie ) Silba
- Tsuga chinensis var robusta Cheng & Fu
Use
The wood is used as construction timber, furniture and mining. From the bark tannins can be obtained from the strain and resins from the roots, the trunk and the branches of aromatic oils.