Nothotsuga longibracteata
Nothotsuga longibracteata
The bristlecone hemlock (Nothotsuga longibracteata (W.C. Cheng) Hu ex C.N. Page) is an arboreal species belonging to the Pinaceae family.
Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota Domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Subarign Tracheobionta,
Spermatophyta superdivision,
Pinophyta Division,
Pinopsida class,
Order Pinales,
Pinaceae family,
Genus Nothotsuga,
N. longibracteata species.
Basionimo is the term:
– Tsuga longibracteata W.C. Cheng.
The terms are synonymous:
– Keteleeria longibracteata (W.C.Cheng) de Laub .;
– Nothotsuga longibracteata subsp. fanjingshenensis Silba;
– × Tsugoketeleeria longibracteata (W.C.Cheng) Van Campo & Gaussen.
Etymology –
The term Nothotsuga comes from the ancient Greek νόθος, nóthos, “bastard” and tsuga, the Japanese vernacular name of these plants, hence tsuga bastarda.
The specific longibracteata epithet comes from longus longus and bractea thin lamina, bract: provided with elongated bracts.
Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The Nothotsuga longibracteata is the only species of the genus and endemic to China where it is present in the NE regions of Guizhou, SW of Hunan, N of Guangdong, NE of Guangxi and S of Fujian.
In its natural habitat it forms small pure populations, or in evergreen, broad-leaved, sclerophyll forests (species of Castanopsis, Lithocarpus and Quercus) or mixed and mesophytic (Fagus longipetiolata, Pinus kwangtungensis, Tetracentron sinensis, etc.) on steep and sunny mountains, slopes and ridges on acid soils in areas with a cool, temperate, humid climate and abundant rainfall and fog.
Description –
Nothotsuga longibracteata is a conifer that grows up to about 30 m in height and with a 100 cm diameter stem.
The bark is dark brown, longitudinally fissured.
The crown is initially conical, then dense and bushy with a flat apex.
The branches are thin, yellowish to brown in color, hairless, with delicate grooves, somewhat dimorphic branching with small lateral shoots that develop on young branches. These do not extend significantly (0.5–1.5 cm in length) and end with a tuft of leaves and a bud.
Vegetative buds are not resinous.
The leaves are of a glossy dark green color, spirally arranged and more or less combed, of 1.1–2.4 × 0.1–0.25 cm, linear, petiolate, with slightly twisted base, acute apex; stomata are in two strips separated by the insignificant median rib.
Male strobiles are grouped and hanging, terminal or subterminal on small lateral, pedunculated, 0.5-1 cm long, yellow-brown shoots.
Female cones are erect, ovoid to oblong in shape, obtuse-truncated apex, (2) 2.5–5 (–5.8) × 1.5–2.5 (–3) cm, purple or red, which later turn dark brown, pedunculated (the peduncle is actually a leafy shoot); the cones remain attached to the tree for several years before disintegrating or breaking off at the stalk.
The seed scales in the center of the broadly rhombic or suborbicular cones, 0,9-2,2 × 1,2-2,5 cm, peltato-auriculate base, truncated-rounded apex. The subspatolate bracts, 0.7-1.8 cm, acute or acuminate apical cusp.
The seeds are triangular-ovoid, 4-8 × 2,5-3 mm; wing ovate-oblong, rounded apex. Pollination is in the period of March-April and seed maturity in October.
Cultivation –
Nothotsuga longibracteata is a conifer that grows in the NE of Guizhou, SW of Hunan, N of Guangdong, NE of Guangxi and S of Fujian.
This species has a cold resistance between -12.1 ° C and -6.7 ° C) and grows on low to medium-high mountain areas, at altitudes between 300 and 2,300 (-3,200) m a.s.l. It grows on both red and yellow soil.
The climate is humid and warm-temperate to humid and cool, with annual rainfall of between 1,000-2,000 mm.
The species is found in two forest formations. In the evergreen broad-leaved forest formation mostly with sclerophyllous broad-leaved trees such as Castanopsis spp., Lithocarpus spp., Quercus spp., And with Fokienia hodginsii; in mesophytic mixed deciduous forest at higher altitudes with Fagus longipetiolata, Tetracentron sinensis, Nyssa sinensis, Acer angustilobium, Davidia involucrata, Sorbus spp., etc. In the forest formation of evergreen broad-leaved trees there are populations of Nothotsuga longibracteata and Tsuga chinensis in purity. Pinus massoniana or P.wangi s.l. locally dominate the general foliage of broad-leaved trees in the poorest sites, where N. longibracteata is also concentrated. The ecological niche of this species is considered to be very narrow.
Customs and Traditions –
Flora of China treats this species as a member of the Tsuga genus. Phylogenetic research indicates that the percentage sequence divergence between N. longibracteata and the closest Tsuga species is approximately double the divergence between the two most distant Tsuga species.
Nothotsuga also differs from Tsuga species by its radially spreading leaves with stomatal lines on both upper and lower surfaces and vertical seed cones.
Populations are highly fragmented, with some consisting of only a few scattered individuals. Undisturbed stands are rare. Genetic research indicates that subpopulations are genetically well differentiated, possibly due to topographical isolation, and that some have experienced relatively recent bottlenecks.
Nothotsuga longibracteata is an ideal tree for reforestation in the mountains above average altitudes in the subtropics. The timber is used for construction and furniture.
In China, this species is considered a very suitable forest tree for afforestation. Its use as a wood tree must be limited due to its rarity. It is typically not grown outside of China and is rare in botanical collections. Some plants of this species are grown at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and elsewhere, although it has proved to be very slow growing and rather difficult to grow well.
The Nothotsuga longibracteata is declared as a vulnerable and endangered species; few trees survive in most populations due to large-scale logging.
It was introduced into cultivation as part of the International Conifer Conservation Program (ICCP) of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. Two seed collections were received for this project. The first was a gift in 1999, by the director of the Shenzen Botanical Garden, of seeds collected by the staff of the Garden on the Hunan side of the Nan Ling mountains (P. Thomas, pers. Comm. 2007), registered under the number TNL11 . A second introduction for the ICCP came from the Nanjing Botanical Garden via the US National Germoplasm Repository and Bedgebury. A limited number of seedlings sprouted from these two sources.
Preparation Method –
The Nothotsuga longibracteata is a conifer that has been widely used for its timber and with extensive deforestation for which it is now a species in danger of extinction.
Furthermore, no particular uses in the food or medicine field are known.
Guido Bissanti
Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.
Photo source:
– https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:946480-1
Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; therefore no responsibility is taken for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.