''Nothotsuga'' is a genus of coniferous

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 ...

s in the family

Pinaceae The Pinaceae, or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly kn ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to China. ''Nothotsuga'' contains only one species, ''Nothotsuga longibracteata'', commonly known as the bristlecone hemlock, which is found in southeastern China, in southern

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 ...

, northern

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, northeast Guangxi, northeast

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

, and southwest

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

Description

''N. longibracteata'' is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree reaching tall. The leaves are flat, needle-like, long and broad, very similar to those of ''Tsuga''. The cones are very similar to those of ''Keteleeria'', but smaller, long, erect, and mature in about 6–8 months after

pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

Taxonomy

In many respects, ''Nothotsuga'' is intermediate between the genera ''

Keteleeria ''Keteleeria'' is a genus of three species of coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae first described as a genus in 1866. The genus name ''Keteleeria'' honours J.B. Keteleer (1813–1903), a French nurseryman. The group is related to the genera ...

'' and ''

Tsuga ''Tsuga'' (, from Japanese (), the name of ''Tsuga sieboldii'') is a genus of conifers in the subfamily Abietoideae of Pinaceae, the pine family. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foli ...

''. It was discovered in 1932, and at first treated as ''Tsuga longibracteata'', being classified in its own

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in 1989 when new research indicated how distinct it is from other species of ''Tsuga'' - by the larger, erect

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 ...

with exserted bracts, and (like ''Keteleeria'') male cones in

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

s, and from ''Keteleeria'' by the shorter leaves and smaller cones.

Conservation

It is a very rare tree listed as a near-threatened species by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

due to historical

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

, though it is now protected.Farjon, A., Christian, T. & Zhang, D 2013
''Nothotsuga longibracteata''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. Downloaded on 02 September 2015.

References

External links

Gymnosperm Database

Flora of China
{{Taxonbar, from=Q63255706, from2=Q135182 Pinaceae Endemic flora of China Trees of China Flora of Fujian Flora of Guangdong Flora of Guangxi Flora of Guizhou Flora of Hunan Monotypic conifer genera Near threatened flora of Asia

Description

Taxonomy

Conservation

References

Further reading

External links