Pinus hwangshanensis

Scientific name: Pinus hwangshanensis  W.Y.Hsia  1936

Synonyms:Pinus luchuensis subsp. hwangshanensis (W.Y.Hsia) D.Z.Li, Pinus luchuensis var. shenkanensis Silba

Common names: Huangshan pine, Huang shan song (Chinese)

Description

Tree to 15(-25) m tall, with trunk to 0.6 m in diameter. Bark dark grayish brown or purplish brown, scaly, longitudinally fissured. Crown cylindrical, flat-topped, open, with numerous slender, short, horizontal or gently rising branches sparsely clothed with foliage. Twigs grayish brown, hairless, rough with the bases of scale leaves. Buds 10-15 mm long, sparsely resinous. Needles in bundles of two, each needle 5-8 cm long, slender but stiff, straight and scarcely twisted, lasting 3-4 years, glossy dark green. Individual needles with inconspicuous lines of stomates on both faces, and (two to) four to six (to eight) resin canals all around the two-stranded midvein, mostly midway to the needle surface. Sheath 10-15 mm long, weathering to (2-)5-10 mm and persisting and falling with the bundle. Pollen cones 1-2 cm long, yellowish brown to reddish brown. Seed cones 4-6.5 cm long, egg-shaped, with 40-100 seed scales, green before maturity, yellow brown, opening widely to release the seeds and then persisting a while before falling with the very short, stout stalk to about 1 cm long. Seed scales variably spoon-shaped, the exposed face horizontally diamond-shaped to five-sided, crossed by a ridge topped by a small, flat or slightly raised umbo bearing a tiny, fragile or persistent prickle. Seed body 5-6 mm long, the easily detachable wing another 12-18 mm longer.

Endemic to China: Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, S Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, SE Yunnan, and Zhejiang; 500-2500 m.

Huangshan pines typically grow at moderate to high altitudes on steep, rocky crags, and are a major vegetation component in the exceptional landscapes of eastern China. Many specimens are venerated for their unique rugged shapes, and are frequently portrayed in traditional Chinese paintings.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

(This species is widespread but scattered and can be fragmented in certain areas where subpopulations are (now) separated by unsuitable habitat due to agricultural development. Yet its capacity to colonize does not seem to indicate any threat with extinction in the foreseeable future and it is therefore assessed as Least Concern)

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.

Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.

Rootstock: Pinus sylvestris