Taiwania
Taiwania Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Cupressales
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Family: | Cupressaceae |
Subfamily: | Taiwanioideae |
Genus: | Taiwania Hayata |
Species: | T. cryptomerioides
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Binomial name | |
Taiwania cryptomerioides | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Taiwania, with the single living species Taiwania cryptomerioides, is a large
Etymology
Taiwania means 'from Taiwan', while cryptomerioides means 'resembling Cryptomeria.[3]
Taxonomy
The genus was formerly placed in the
Range
It is native to eastern Asia, growing in the mountains of central Taiwan, and locally in southwest China (Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet) and adjoining Myanmar, and northern Vietnam.[2][4] It is endangered by illegal logging for its valuable wood in many areas. It is very likely that the range was more extensive in the past before extensive felling for the wood.[1] 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 90 m (300 ft) tall and with a trunk up to 4 m (13 ft) diameter above buttressed base.[8] The leaves are needle-like or awl-like and 8–15 mm (0.31–0.59 in) long on young trees up to about 100 years old, then gradually becoming more scale-like, 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long, on mature trees. The cones are small, 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) long, with about 15–30 thin, fragile scales, each scale with two seeds.
History
The genus is named after the country 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 building and coffins. The rarity of the tree and its slow growth in plantations 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 in Taiwan.
Extraordinary specimens
In 2022 a team of researchers measured a 79.1 meters (259.5 feet) Taiwania specimen in
In 2023 a specimen was found measuring 84.1 meters in height.[10]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Taiwania". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- ISBN 9780521685535(paperback). pp 127, 370
- ^ a b Fu, Liguo; Yu, Yong-fu; Mill, Robert R. "Taiwania cryptomerioides". Flora of China. Vol. 4 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- S2CID 236141481.
- S2CID 129574364.
- S2CID 237705866.
- ISBN 1-84246-068-4
- ^ Everington, Keoni (21 October 2022). "Tallest tree in East Asia discovered in Taiwan". taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Hsiung-feng, Chang; Mazzetta, Matthew. "84.1-meter Taiwania tree confirmed as Taiwan's tallest". focustaiwan.tw. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 30 January 2023.