Foliage on a tree in the Seattle Arboretum [C.J. Earle].
Fallen cones from a tree in the Seattle Arboretum [C.J. Earle].
Common Names
Dragon spruce; YunShan [Chinese] (2).Taxonomic notes
Syn: P. aurantiaca (1). Farjon (2) segregates P. aurantiaca as a distinct species in accordance with Cheng & Fu (3), but recognizes that the issue is debatable. There are then three varieties; Picea asperata var. aurantiaca (Masters) B.K. Boom; Picea asperata var. heterolepis (Rehder & Wilson) Cheng ex Rehder (syn: P. heterolepis Rehder & Wilson; P. asperata var. nobilis Rehder & Wilson); and P. asperata var. ponderosa Rehder & Wilson.Description
Range
China: SE Qinghai, NE of Qinghai Hu (Lake Kokonor), Gansu, Sichuan, Ningxia (Helan Shan), & SW Shaanxi (2).Big Tree
Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
Observations
Remarks
Var. aurantiaca is listed by the WCMC as endangered. It is "confined to a small area west of Kangding in Sichuan. Forests in this area are increasingly under pressure from indiscriminate logging. Populations have declined and, as yet, there is no protection for the species" (4).Citations
(1) Silba 1986.(2) Farjon 1990.
(3) Cheng & Fu 1978.
(4) World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Trees.
[Picea] [Pinaceae] [home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/pi/pic/asperata.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.net
Last modified on 19-Dec-98