Class Pinopsida | Division Pinophyta Genus Keteleeria Rank Species | |
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Similar Keteleeria, Keteleeria davidiana, Keteleeria fortunei, Keteleeria davidiana var formo, Keteleeria pubescens | ||
Keteleeria evelyniana (Evelyn keteleeria, Chinese: 云南油杉; pinyin: Yúnnán yóushān, Vietnamese: Du sam) is a species of conifer native to southern China, Laos and Vietnam. It can become 40 metres (130 ft) tall.
Contents
Range and ecology
Laos, Vietnam (as far south as the Plateau of Lang Bian near Da Lat), and China: SW Sichuan, Yunnan (where it probably intergrades with K. davidiana), and possibly the central mountains of Hainan.
K. evelyniana grows in Vietnam at elevations above 500 metres (1,600 ft) and is shade intolerant, prefers neutral soils, and is typically associated with Pinus spp. or with species of Fagaceae and Lauraceae. It is the most widespread conifer in NW Vietnam.
Cultivation and uses
Timber is insect resistant and is useful for construction and household furniture making. Used in construction, railroad ties, mine timbering and sundry house implements. The seeds are rich in essential oil that can be used for burning and soap manufacturing. The tree can also be used in medicine.
In mid-December 2009, a Keteleeria evelyniana located in Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum was cut down. It was thought that the unknown person who was responsible for the cutting down of the tree took it for a Christmas tree. The tree was planted in 1998, transplanted from China's Yunnan province.
In 2013, the species was listed as vulnerable on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species after a 2010 assessment which found the tree's population to be in significant decline and fragmented.
Remarks
Listed (as K. roulletii) as threatened in Vietnam by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
