Vasilis Teodoridis:
Taxodiaceae | Cunninghamia
1. Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lambert) Hooker; Bot. Mag. 54: t. 2743. 1827.
?? shan mu
Trees or shrubs to 50 m tall; trunk to 3 m d.b.h.; bark dark gray to dark brown; or reddish brown; longitudinally fissured; cracking into irregular flakes; crown pyramidal. Leaves glossy deep green adaxially; narrowly linear-lanceolate; straight or slightly falcate; 0.8-6.5(-7) cm x 1.5-5 mm; midvein green abaxially; 0.3-1.2 mm wide; flat with median longitudinal keel throughout; stomatal bands present on both surfaces; bands on adaxial surface 0.5-1.5 mm wide; of 7-28 rows of stomatal; white powdery or not; bands on abaxial surface 1.2-2.8 mm apart; 0.3-0.8(-1) mm from leaf margin; not or rarely white powdery; base decurrent; margin denticulate; sometimes indistinctly so; especially on old trees; with 18-55(-90) teeth per side; apex usually symmetric and spinescent; spine 0.3-2 mm. Pollen cone fascicles terminal; 1-3(-5) together; broadly obovoid; each of 8-20 cones; occasionally a few also around base of seed cone; peduncle 2-4 mm; cones narrowly oblong-conical. Seed cones terminal; 1-4 together; at pollination shortly cylindric-ovoid; ca. 12 x 8 mm; later becoming ovoid or subglobose; 1.8-4.5 x 1.2-4 cm; bracts glaucous or rather glossy; broadly ovate or triangular-ovate; base with short claw 1/5-1/2 x total length of bract; distal part gradually narrowed toward pointed apex; 1/14-1/5 x total length of bract. Seeds dark brown; oblong or narrowly ovate; 5-6 x ca. 4 mm; narrowly winged laterally. Pollination Jan-May; seed maturity Aug-Nov.
Mixed broad-leaved forests or forming small; pure stands; rocky hillsides; roadsides; 200-2800 m. Exact native distribution uncertain owing to widespread planting: Anhui; Fujian; Gansu; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Hainan; Henan; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangsu; Jiangxi; Shaanxi; Sichuan; C and N Taiwan; Yunnan; Zhejiang [?Cambodia; Laos; N Vietnam]
A very variable species: specimens occur with spinescent or obtuse leaf apices and with or without white stomatal bands on the adaxial leaf surface. The latter character is at least partly dependent on the age of the tree and the position of the leaf on the tree: leaves exposed to sunlight have less conspicuous adaxial stomatal bands than those in shade; as do leaves of old trees. Variants also occur with strongly glaucous leaves.
The most important fast-growing timber tree of the warm regions S of the Chang Jiang valley; it is propagated by seed; cuttings; or suckers. The wood is strongly resistant to rot; is not eaten by termites; and is easily worked; it is used in constructing buildings; bridges; ships; and lamp posts; in furniture manufacture; and for wood fiber.
Vasilis Teodoridis:
Rubiaceae
1. Coptosapelta diffusa (Champ. ex Benth.) van Steenis; Amer. J. Bot. 56: 806. 1969.
??? liu su zi
Thysanospermum diffusum Champ. ex Benth.; Kew J. Bot. 4: 168. 1852.
Lianas or scandent shrubs; 2--5 m or taller; much branched. Branches terete; distinctly noded; denselt appressed yellowish brown hirsute when young; with soft hairs or glabrescent when old. Leaves chartaceous to leathery; petioles 2--5 mm; hisute; rarely glabrous; blade ovate; ovate-oblong to lanceolate; 2--9.5 ? 0.8--3.5 cm; apex acute; acuminate to caudate acuminate; base rounded or broadly cuneate; yellowish green when dry; adaxially slightly shiny; glabrous or rarely hirsute on both surfaces; sparsely hirsute along midvein; margins glabrous or sparsely ciliate; stipules lanceolate; 3--7 mm long; caducous. Flowers solitary in axils of leaves; often opposite; pedicels slendar; 3--18 mm; glabrous or soft hairy; often with a pair of bracteoles ca. 1 mm long at upper part. Calyx 2.5--3.5 mm long; glabrous or soft hairy; tube ovate; limb 5-lobed; lobes ovate triangular; 0.8--1 mm. Corolla white or yellow; salverform; sericeous outside; 1.2--2 cm long; tube cylindrical; 0.8--1.5 x ca. 0.15 cm; pubescent at upper part adaxially; lobes 5; oblong; 4--6 ? 1.4-1.6 mm; pubescent at middle adaxially; reflexed in anthesis. Stamens 5; filaments short; anthers linear-lancelolate; 3.5-4 mm long; exerted; style ca. 1.3 cm long; glabrous; stigma fusiform; 2.5--3 mm; exerted. Capsule slightly comprresed globose; ; with 1 groove at middle; 5--8 mm in diameter; 4--6 mm long; pale yellow; pericarp hard; woody; crowned by persistent calyxlobes; pedicels slendar; to 2 cm long. Seeds numerous; suborbicular; thin and flat; brownish black; 1.5--2 mm in diameter; finged at argin. Fl. May-Jul; fr. Jun-Dec.
Thickets or Forest on Mountains or hills; 100-1450 m. Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Yunnan; Sichuan; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangxi; Anhui; Zhejiang; Fujian; Hong Kong; Taiwan [Japan(Ryukyu)].