''Taiwania'', with the single living species ''Taiwania cryptomerioides'', is a large 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 ...

in the cypress family Cupressaceae.

Etymology

''Taiwania'' means 'from

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 ...

', while ''Cryptomerioides'' means 'resembling ''

Cryptomeria ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' ...

''.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 127, 370

Taxonomy

The genus was formerly placed in the segregate family

Taxodiaceae Taxodiaceae is a formerly recognized coniferous plant family comprising the following ten genera: *''Athrotaxis'' *''Cryptomeria'' *''Cunninghamia'' *†'' Cunninghamites'' *''Glyptostrobus'' *''Metasequoia'' *'' Sciadopitys'' *'' Sequoia'' *''S ...

, it is now included in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

subfamily Taiwanioideae of the family Cupressaceae. It is the second most basal member of the Cupressaceae, with only ''

Cunninghamia ''Cunninghamia'' is a genus of one or two living species of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae. They are native to China, northern Vietnam and Laos, and perhaps also Cambodia. They may reach in height. In vernacular ...

'' being more basal. Its lineage is thought to have diverged from the rest of Cupressaceae during the middle

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

Range

It is native to eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, growing in the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

s of central

, and locally in southwest China (Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan,

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

) and adjoining

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, and 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 ...

. It is

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 ...

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corruption, corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, o ...

for its valuable

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 ...

in many areas. It is very likely that the range was more extensive in the past before extensive felling for the wood. The populations in mainland Asia were treated as a distinct species ''Taiwania flousiana'' by some botanists, but the cited differences between these and the Taiwanese population are not consistent when a number of specimens from each area are compared.

Morphology

It is one of the largest tree species in Asia, reported to heights of up to tall and with a trunk up to diameter above buttressed base.Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The leaves are needle-like or awl-like and long on young trees up to about 100 years old, then gradually becoming more scale-like, long, on mature trees. 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 small, long, with about 15–30 thin, fragile scales, each scale with two

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 ...

History

The genus is named after the island of Taiwan, from where it first became known to the botanical community in 1910. The wood is soft, but durable and attractively spicy scented, and was in very high demand in the past, particularly for

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

building and coffins. The rarity of the tree and its slow growth in

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s means legal supplies are now very scarce; the species has legal protection in China and Taiwan. '' Taiwania'' is also a journal that is published by

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

Extraordinary specimens

In 2022 a team of researchers measured a 79.1 meters (259.5 feet) Taiwania specimen in

Shei-pa National Park Shei-Pa National Park () is a national park located in the central part of Taiwan around the peaks of Hsuehshan and Dabajian Mountain, with an area of , covering the area of Hsinchu County, Miaoli County and Taichung City. High mountain ecology, ...

. The tree was growing at an elevation of 2,000m.

References

External links

Conifers Around the World Special Report - ''"Taiwania Day" in Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden''
. {{Taxonbar, from=Q390313 Cupressaceae Monotypic conifer genera Trees of Myanmar Trees of China Trees of Taiwan Trees of Vietnam Vulnerable plants