Keteleeria fortunei
Keteleeria fortunei | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Pinales |
Family: | Pinaceae |
Genus: | Keteleeria |
Species: | K. fortunei |
Binomial name | |
Keteleeria fortunei (A. Murray) Carrière | |
Keteleeria fortunei (zh: 油杉, you shan) is a coniferous evergreen tree. Originated in China, K. fortunei is an ancient relict species and a second-class national key protected plant, "mainly distributed in south subtropical to the middle subtropical edge". It is found 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 lifespan of K. fortunei can reach more than a thousand years, and the height of a thousand-year-old tree can reach more than 40 meters. "Economically, K. fortunei is a treasure, and its comprehensive development and uses has broad prospects". The species is named after Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, who discovered the tree in 1844. K. fortunei has also been reported from Vietnam but this is attributed to misidentification of immature specimens of Pseudotsuga sinensis.