Taiwania flousiana Seeds | Taiwania
LATIN NAME: Taiwania flousiana
COMMON NAME: Taiwania
Plant Profile
Taiwania is one of the largest conifers in Asia, a columnar tree of the cypress family that can pass sixty metres and live for a thousand years. It grows in cool, wet mountain valleys from Yunnan through Guizhou and Hubei into northern Myanmar, usually in small groves on sheltered slopes where cloud sits through the summer. The trunk is straight and buttressed at the base, with bark that peels in long, reddish strips. Young foliage is awl-shaped and prickly, while mature foliage is scale-like and droops in flat sprays. The cones are small and woody, and the seed is tiny, winged and produced irregularly. Old trees are often hollow, and the timber is light, straight-grained and valued for furniture and coffins.
Science & Biotechnology
Taiwania is a monotypic genus, the only survivor of a lineage that was widespread across the northern hemisphere in the Cretaceous, and fossil pollen from Europe and North America is almost identical to the modern tree. That makes it a living reference point for palaeobotanists studying conifer forests before the ice ages. The species is tetraploid, with a chromosome count that suggests a doubling event in its ancestry, and its wood lacks the normal resin canals, which is one reason the timber is so workable. Genetic studies of the remaining populations show very low diversity and strong differentiation between groves, a pattern typical of a species that has been reduced to isolated mountain refuges. It is listed as vulnerable, and collection of seed from wild trees is controlled in China.
Uses & Benefits
The timber is the traditional reason for planting it: light, fine and remarkably resistant to decay, it was used for temple columns, boats and furniture, and old-growth logs are now scarce enough to be valuable. In the garden it is a specimen conifer for a large, damp site, where its narrow habit and drooping sprays make it useful as a vertical accent without casting heavy shade. It is grown in arboreta across Europe, though it needs shelter from wind and does not tolerate drought. Young trees are slow for five years and then grow quickly. The species is also planted in watershed restoration in southwest China, where its roots hold steep, wet slopes.
Growing from Seed
Sow the dust-fine seed on the surface and settle it with a fine mist rather than a watering can. Surface-sow on a mix of leaf mould, peat and sand, press it down, and cover with a bare two millimetres of fine grit. Keep at fifteen to twenty degrees with high humidity and bright light; germination takes three to six weeks. The seedlings are tiny and prone to damping off, so water from below and give them air. Grow on in individual deep pots in half shade for the first year, then full light. Plant out in autumn into deep, moist, acid soil in a sheltered spot, mulch heavily, and water through dry summers for the first three years. Shelter from wind is essential.
Our Take
A living relic of the Cretaceous, and one of the tallest trees in Asia. It needs damp, shelter and a hundred years.
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