Cunninghamia spp.
China fir
China, Taiwan, and mainland Southeast Asia
Overview
Cunninghamia is a genus of two evergreen conifers in the cypress family, native to China, Taiwan, and parts of mainland Southeast Asia. The better-known C. lanceolata, the China fir, forms a conical tree 65-160 feet (20-50 m) tall with a straight trunk, reddish-brown fibrous bark, and tiered, slightly drooping branches. Unlike most conifers in its family, it bears broad, stiff, lance-shaped leaves 1-2.5 inches (2.5-6 cm) long, sharp-pointed and arranged spirally in two flattened ranks, glossy green above with two white bands beneath. Small ovoid cones 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) long sit near the shoot tips. The tree produces vigorous coppice shoots and root suckers, often regrowing after felling, and it is widely grown in China for its fragrant, durable timber. The genus grows in warm-temperate to subtropical hill forests on moist, deep, acidic, free-draining soils. It needs a humid climate and shelter, and the foliage browns and the tree thins in cold, dry, or exposed positions. Old foliage is held for several years and turns bronze in winter before dropping.
Native Range
Cunninghamia is native to central and southern China, Taiwan, and the hill forests of northern Vietnam and Laos. It grows in warm-temperate to subtropical montane forest on moist, deep, acidic soils.Suggested Uses
Cunninghamia is grown as a specimen and avenue tree in large gardens, parks, and arboreta in mild, humid climates. In China it is a major plantation timber tree, valued for its fragrant, rot-resistant wood. The coppicing habit also suits it to managed timber stands that regrow after cutting.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height65' - 160'
Width/Spread15' - 25'
Bloom Information
As a conifer, Cunninghamia bears cones rather than flowers. Pollen is shed from small clustered male cones in spring, and the rounded woody seed cones ripen by autumn of the same year. Seed disperses as the cones dry and open, and the tree also spreads by coppice shoots and root suckers.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
glossy green, white-banded beneathGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight