''Glyptostrobus pensilis'', known in Chinese as 水松 (Shuǐ sōng), and also Chinese swamp cypress, is an

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

conifer, and the sole living species in the genus ''

Glyptostrobus ''Glyptostrobus'' is a small genus of conifers in the family Cupressaceae (formerly in the family Taxodiaceae). The sole living species, '' Glyptostrobus pensilis'', is native to subtropical southeastern China, from Fujian west to southeast Yu ...

''.

Description

It is a medium-sized to large

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

, reaching tall and with a trunk diameter of up to , possibly more. The leaves are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

, spirally arranged but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, long and broad, but long and scale-like on shoots in the upper crown. The

cones A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

are green maturing yellow-brown,

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

-shaped, long and diameter, broadest near the apex. They open when mature to release the small, long, winged

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Like the related genus ''

Taxodium ''Taxodium'' is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. The generic name is derived from the Latin word ''taxus'', meaning "yew", and the Greek ...

'', it produces '

cypress knee A cypress knee is a distinctive structure forming above the roots of a cypress tree of any of various species of the subfamily Taxodioideae, such as the bald cypress. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen on trees growing in s ...

s', or pneumatophores, when growing in water, thought to help transport

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

to the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

Distribution and habitat

''G. pensilis'' is native to subtropical southeastern China, from

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

west to southeast

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

, and also very locally in northern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and Laos. It typically grows in

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

banks,

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...

s and swamps, growing in water up to deep.

Conservation

The species is nearly extinct in the wild due to overcutting for its valuable decay-resistant, scented

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

, but it is also fairly widely planted along the banks of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

paddies where its roots help to stabilise the banks by reducing soil

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

. There appear to be no remaining wild plants in China and few of those in Vietnam are seed-bearing. A population of Chinese swamp cypress was recently discovered in central Laos.McGuire, D. (28 May 2015)
Saving the Endangered Chinese Swamp Cypress
Earth Island Journal. Retrieved 15 June 2019. The species is found in several

botanical gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

around the world.Gymnosperm Database
''Glyptostrobus''
Retrieved 15 June 2019. It was previously reported that there were four specimens of this tree growing in Bank Hall Gardens,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, United Kingdom, but it has now been confirmed that they are in fact the swamp or bald cypress from the southeastern USA, ''

Taxodium distichum ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...

''.

Gallery

File:Glyptostrobus pensilis2.jpg, Unripe cone File:Glyptostrobus pensilis 2007.06.28 10.10.35-p6280031.jpg, Ripe cones File:Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, Chinese Water Fir glyptostrobus pencilis.jpg, Seedling in the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, US File:Glyptostrobus pensilis - Oregon Garden - Silverton, Oregon - DSC00137.jpg, Young tree in the

Oregon Garden The Oregon Garden is an botanical garden and tourist attraction in Silverton, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, it is home to over 20 gardens including the Rose Garden, Children's Garden and Silverton Market Garden. It is open 365 days a ye ...

in autumn; it is deciduous Glyptostrobus pensilis - Oregon Garden - Silverton, Oregon - DSC00136.jpg, Close-up of autumn foliage File:Glyptostrobus pensilis - UC Davis Arboretum - DSC03391.JPG, A wet environment Image:Chinese Swamp Cypress in Nanhua Temple.jpg, 400- to 500-year-old trees in

Nanhua Temple Nanhua Temple () is a Buddhist monastery of the Chan Buddhism, one of Five Great Schools of Buddhism where Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, once lived and taught. It is located in the town of Maba (), Qujiang District, southeast ...

File:Glyptostrobus pensilis1.jpg, Bark of trunk

References

External links

Arboretum de Villardebelle: photo of cone
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3496220 Cupressaceae Critically endangered plants Plants described in 1873 Trees of China Flora of Guangxi Trees of Vietnam Trees of Laos Deciduous conifers