Amentotaxus argotaenia

Amentotaxus argotaenia, the catkin yew, is a species of conifer in the family Taxaceae. It is a shrub or a small tree up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall.[2]

Amentotaxus argotaenia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Taxaceae
Genus: Amentotaxus
Species:
A. argotaenia
Binomial name
Amentotaxus argotaenia

Amentotaxus argotaenia var. brevifolia has been described from southern Guizhou and listed separately by IUCN.[3] Amentotaxus formosana was previously recognised as a variant of A. argotaenia.[4]

Distribution

In mainland China, the species is found in Fujian, southern Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, western Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, northwestern Jiangxi, central and southeastern Sichuan, southeastern Tibet and southern Zhejiang. It also occurs in Taiwan.[2] In Hong Kong, it is distributed in Ma On Shan, Tai Mo Shan, Mount Parker, Sunset Peak, Lantau Peak, and Sai Kung Peninsula. In the Shing Mun Arboretum, a living specimen is displayed.[5]

Outside China, it occurs in northern Vietnam.[6]

Threats

The status of the species is not good as the growth rate of the plant is slow and its regeneration is infrequent. Its seeds are poorly dispersed and predated by rats.

The declining of the population is also caused by forest clearing and habitat modification.

Protection and conservation

In Hong Kong, this species is under protection based on Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A. All the localities of the species occurrence are within Country Parks under protection.[5] Tai Mo Shan Montane Scrub Forest in the upper Shing Mun Valley was assigned as a Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1975 as the forest supports this rare species and other species, Camellia granthamiana, Camellia waldenae, and many species of orchids.

In 2020 40 saplings raised at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland as part of an International Conifer Conservation Programme, were sent to Hong Kong to be planted.[7]

In Mainland China, it is recorded in China Plant Red Data Book and Illustrations of Rare and Endangered plant in Guangdong Province.

References
  1. Conifer Specialist Group (1998). "Amentotaxus argotaenia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998. Retrieved 21 April 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Liguo Fu; Nan Li & Robert R. Mill. "Amentotaxus argotaenia". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  3. Conifer Specialist Group (1998). "Amentotaxus argotaenia var. brevifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998. Retrieved 21 April 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Conifer Specialist Group (2000). "Amentotaxus formosana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000. Retrieved 26 September 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. Amentotaxus argotaenia Archived 2009-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Hong Kong Herbarium (in Chinese)
  6. Luu, Nguyen Duc To; Philip Ian Thomas (2004). Conifers of Vietnam. pp. 67–68. ISBN 1-872291-64-3. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19.
  7. "Conifer conserved". The Garden - Royal Horticultural Society: 9. April 2020.
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