Abies fanjingshanensis

Pinaceae Abies fanjingshanensis W.L. Huang, Y.L. Tu & S.Z. Fang

Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
fanjingshanensis refers to the Fanjing Shan, a mountain in China.

Colloquial Name
Fanjingshan fir

Description
These trees can grow over 22 meters tall, with a straight, column-like trunk that supports a narrow pyramidal or oblong crown. The bark is smooth and gray when young, becoming darker and developing a scaly, fissured texture at the base as the tree matures.

The main branches are large and spread horizontally, while the smaller branches either spread outward or angle upward. The twigs are thick and sturdy, ranging in color from light to dark reddish-brown, eventually turning dark brown after a few years. They have noticeable ridges and grooves between the needle attachments and may be either smooth or slightly hairy in the grooves. The scars left by fallen needles are circular.

The buds are small, rounded, and covered in sticky resin. Their scales are broad, triangular, reddish-brown, and remain on the tree for several years. The needles grow in a spiral pattern along the twigs, appearing crowded. The lower needles form two distinct rows, while the upper ones spread outward more radially or angle forward. Near the tips of the branches, they often curve backward. They range in length from 1 to 4.3 centimeters, though most are shorter than 2.5 centimeters, and are 2 to 3 millimeters wide. They have a slightly twisted or curved base, with longer ones being narrow and flat, while the shorter ones are more strap-like. The upper surface is light green with a shallow groove running lengthwise, while the underside has two white bands. The tips are slightly notched, even on cone-bearing branches. The stomata are arranged in two bands below, separated by a thin midrib.

The pollen cones grow on the sides of branches, clustered closely together in the axils of the needles. They are oblong, about 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, yellow in color, with red pollen-producing structures. The seed cones also grow on the sides of branches but stand upright on short stalks about 0.8 to 1 centimeter long. They are oval or barrel-shaped, with a flat or slightly indented tip, measuring 5 to 7 centimeters long and 3.5 to 4 centimeters wide. When young, they are bluish-purple, darkening to a deep purplish-brown as they mature, and eventually turn dark brown when fully ripe. After releasing their seeds, the central cone stalk remains on the tree as a tapered, blackish-brown structure.

The cone scales are broad and somewhat kidney-shaped, measuring about 1.5 centimeters long and 1.8 to 2.2 centimeters wide in the middle of the cone. The surface is smooth or slightly streaked, with dense fine hairs on the exposed parts, and the upper edge is thickened and curves inward. The base narrows into a small stalk about 8 to 10 millimeters long, which is slightly curved. The bracts inside the cone are spoon-shaped with a slightly heart-shaped tip and have tiny irregular teeth along the upper edge. They are about 1 to 1.2 centimeters long and remain mostly hidden, though some may slightly extend beyond the cone scales.

The seeds are small, oval-conical, and slightly flattened, measuring 6 to 8 millimeters in length and 3 to 4 millimeters in width, with a dark brown color. They are attached to trapezoid or wedge-shaped wings, measuring 6 to 8 millimeters long and 4 to 6 millimeters wide, which are either light brown or reddish-brown.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
3, 36, CHC, CHC-GZ

Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies fanjingshanensis are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 2300 up to 2300 metres. Other conifers associated with Abies fanjingshanensis are:

USDA Hardiness zone – 8
Abies fanjingshanensis is hardy to USDA Zone 8 (estimated), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -12.2C (10F) to -6.7C (20F).

Species Continuity
The population trend for Abies fanjingshanensis is decreasing. Currently, there exist about 250 mature specimen. There are ongoing threats for Abies fanjingshanensis and they are listed as follows:

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.4 Air / Soil & Water Pollution

IUCN Category – EN
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies fanjingshanensis has been assigned the status of EN(Endangered). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species qualifies as Endangered and is very much at risk.

Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Abies fanjingshanensis is Subsect. Delavayianae. The coordinate taxa for Abies fanjingshanensis are therefore:

Abies fanjingshanensis is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies fanjingshanensis is also placed under Pinaceae.

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