Keteleeria fortunei
Encyclopedia
Keteleeria fortunei is a coniferous evergreen
tree
native to northern Vietnam
, Hong Kong
, and China
in the provinces of Fujian
, Guangdong
, Guangxi
, Guizhou
, Hunan
, Jiangxi
, Yunnan
, and Zhejiang
. The tree grows in hills, mountains, and broadleaf forests at elevations of 200–1400 m. The species is named after Scottish botanist Robert Fortune
, who discovered the tree in 1844.
It grows 25–30 m tall and 1 m in trunk diameter at breast height, forming a pyramidal crown with spreading, horizontal branches. The bark
is dark gray, rough, and furrowed in a vertical pattern. Branchlets are orange-red and pubescent when young, turning yellow-gray or yellow-brown in their second or third year. The leaves
are 1.2–3 cm long by 2–4 mm broad, stiff, sharply pointed on young trees and rounded or rarely slightly notched on mature trees. They are shiny dark green above and pale green on the underside with 12-17 stoma
tal lines on each side of the midrib. The cones
are cylindrical, 6–18 cm long, 3–5 cm wide before opening and up to 7.5 cm wide after opening. They stand erect on short pubescent stalks and mature in October to a purple-brown color. The cones open upon maturity to release the seeds, which are large and oblong, 1-1.3 cm long with a yellow-brown wedge-shaped wing 3 cm long.
The tree is grown as an ornamental in warm climates, and the wood
is used in construction and furniture, although the species is protected under Chinese forestry regulations.
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
native to northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in the provinces of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, and Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. The tree grows in hills, mountains, and broadleaf forests at elevations of 200–1400 m. The species is named after Scottish botanist Robert Fortune
Robert Fortune
Robert Fortune was a Scottish botanist and traveller best known for introducing tea plants from China to India.-Travels and botanical introductions to Europe:Fortune was born in Kelloe, Berwickshire...
, who discovered the tree in 1844.
It grows 25–30 m tall and 1 m in trunk diameter at breast height, forming a pyramidal crown with spreading, horizontal branches. The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is dark gray, rough, and furrowed in a vertical pattern. Branchlets are orange-red and pubescent when young, turning yellow-gray or yellow-brown in their second or third year. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 1.2–3 cm long by 2–4 mm broad, stiff, sharply pointed on young trees and rounded or rarely slightly notched on mature trees. They are shiny dark green above and pale green on the underside with 12-17 stoma
Stoma
In botany, a stoma is a pore, found in the leaf and stem epidermis that is used forgas exchange. The pore is bordered by a pair of specialized parenchyma cells known as guard cells that are responsible for regulating the size of the opening...
tal lines on each side of the midrib. The cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
are cylindrical, 6–18 cm long, 3–5 cm wide before opening and up to 7.5 cm wide after opening. They stand erect on short pubescent stalks and mature in October to a purple-brown color. The cones open upon maturity to release the seeds, which are large and oblong, 1-1.3 cm long with a yellow-brown wedge-shaped wing 3 cm long.
The tree is grown as an ornamental in warm climates, and the wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
is used in construction and furniture, although the species is protected under Chinese forestry regulations.