EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

China Fir in Dali

China Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), Family Cupressaceae
Dali, Yunnan, China

Explanation:  Hello, Dali!  That's the town of Dali, located on the southern tip of Erhai Lake in the province of Yunnan, south China.

And here stretches a wonderful example of a China fir.  Reaching up to about 100 feet (30 meters) tall, with a canopy spread of up to 30 feet (9 meters), China fir is an evergreen conifer native to the forests here in southern China and, depending on species designations, adjacent Taiwan.  

The foliage consists of sharp needles that are arranged in spirals around the twigs and that are twisted at the base.  "Sharp pointed" also gave rise to this tree's "species name" (more precisely, it's "specific epithet"), lanceolata.  A sharp lance.  

Based on molecular genetics studies, the genus Cunninghamia is  thought to consist of the most primitive living members of their family Cupressaceae that also includes cypresses, junipers, redwoods, and others.  Some authorities recognize separate species in the genus as also occurring in southeast Asia and Taiwan, but others lump them as varieties under C. lanceolata.  

Sources suggest that the tree is used for landscaping and has medicinal uses such as for treating ulcers, hernias, rheumatism, burns, and other ailments.  The wood is used for building.  In the United States, the species has been introduced to North Carolina and Louisiana.