Abies ziyuanensis - Ziyuan fir description

Scientific name: Abies ziyuanensis  L.K.Fu & S.L.Mo  1980

Synonyms: Abies beshanzuensis var. ziyuanensis (L.K.Fu & S.L.Mo) L.K.Fu & Nan Li, Abies dayuanensis Q.X.Liu, Abies fabri subsp. dayuanensis (Q.X.Liu) Silba, Abies fabri subsp. ziyuanensis (L.K.Fu & S.L.Mo) Silba, Abies fabri var. ziyuanensis (L.K.Fu & S.L.Mo) Silba

Common names: Ziyuan fir (English), Ziyuan lengshan (Chinese)

Description

Trees to 30 m tall, d.b.h. to 0.6-0.9 m; trunk monopodial, straight, columnar, terete; crown broad, conical or flat topped in old trees. Bark of young trees smooth, grey, in old trees shallowly ridged and grooved, broken into small plates on lower part of trunk. Branches of first order long, spreading horizontally, ascending towards the top of the tree; branches of second order spreading or ascending. Branchlets thick, stout, at first light yellowish brown, in the third year greyish brown; surface ridged and grooved between the leaves, glabrous or with short hairs in the grooves; leaf scars circular. Vegetative buds cylindric or ovoid-oblong, with acutish apex, covered with a thin layer of white resin; bud scales triangular, dorsally keeled, light yellowish brown. Leaves spirally arranged, spreading laterally in two overlapping sets, of unequal length, the longest near base of shoot, on coning shoots upper leaves assurgent, all leaves on vegetative shoots of young trees pectinate, widely spaced, 2-4.8 cm long, 3-3.5 mm wide, twisted or curved at base, linear, straight or curved, flattened, with margins (in sicco) slightly recurved, dark green above, two greenish white bands below; apex obtuse or slightly emarginate. Stomata absent on the adaxial (upper) surface, in two bands divided by a midrib below. Resin canals 2, marginal, small. Pollen cones lateral, in leaf axils, ca. 2 cm long, yellowish, with red microsporophylls. Seed cones lateral, with 0.5-1 cm long peduncles, oblong-cylindric or elliptical, with obtuse apex, 10-11 cm long, 4.2-4.5 cm wide, greenish or yellowish green when immature, maturing to dark greenish brown, becoming dark brown when ripe; cone rachis persistent, narrowly conical. Seed scales broad cuneate-flabellate, length × width at mid cone 2.3-2.5 × 3-3.3 cm; surface smooth, dark brown when ripe, sparingly puberulent; upper margin entire, rounded, not incurved, light brownish green; lateral margins finely toothed, auriculate near the pedicellate base. Bracts oblong-spathulate, near apex 9-10 mm wide, near base 3 mm, 2.1-2.3 cm long including the small cusp, included, or slightly exserted near base of cone and recurved; apical margin with fine teeth. Seeds cuneate-oblong, ca. 10 × 4 mm, purplish grey with dark resin; seed wings cuneate-dolabriform, with rounded or slightly truncate apex, 13-15 × 12-14 mm, light purplish grey, with dark spots, lustrous.

China: NE Guangxi (Rongshui Xian, Yuanbao Shan), SW Hunan (Ziyuan Xian, Xingni, Chenbu), SW Jiangxi (Jinggang Shan); 1,650-1,750 m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered

Varieties: -

Attribution from: Conifers Garden