Nothotsuga is a genus of Pinophyta in the family Pinaceae endemic to China. Nothotsuga contains only one living species, Nothotsuga longibracteata, commonly known as the bristlecone hemlock or chang bao tie shan (长苞铁杉),
The genus was more diverse in the past, with its earliest fossils being known from Europe during the late Eocene epoch, with the genus being present in Europe as recently as the Pliocene. The oldest fossils near its current distribution dating to the Miocene epoch.
Description
N. longibracteata is an
evergreen tree reaching tall. The leaves are flat, needle-like, long and broad, very similar to those of
Tsuga. The cones are very similar to those of
Keteleeria, but smaller, long, erect, and mature in about 6–8 months after
pollination.
Taxonomy
In many respects,
Nothotsuga is intermediate between the genera
Keteleeria and
Tsuga. It was discovered in 1932, and at first treated as
Tsuga longibracteata, being classified in its own
genus in 1989 when new research indicated how distinct it is from other species of
Tsuga - by the larger, erect
conifer cone with exserted
, and (like
Keteleeria) male cones in
, and from
Keteleeria by the shorter
leaf and smaller cones.
Conservation
It is a very rare tree listed as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to historical
deforestation, though it is now protected.
Further reading
External links
