''Amentotaxus formosana'', the Taiwan catkin yew, is a species of conifer in the family

Taxaceae Taxaceae (), commonly called the yew family, is a coniferous family which includes six extant and two extinct genera, and about 30 species of plants, or in older interpretations three genera and 7 to 12 species. Description They are many-bran ...

. It is a small tree to tall, with a slender trunk. It was previously recognised as a variant of '' Amentotaxus argotaenia''. ''Amentotaxus formosana'' is found only in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

where it only occurs in four localities of cloud forest in the

Hengchun Peninsula Hengchun Township is a township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengc ...

, in the extreme south of the island. IUCN considers ''A. formosana'' as critically endangered because of its populations are small and threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The populations are characterized by very low levels of genetic diversity. The wood is used for making furniture and handicrafts, etc., and the species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental tree.

References

formosana Endemic flora of Taiwan Trees of Taiwan Critically endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{conifer-stub