From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nothotsuga is a genus of coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae, in many respects intermediate
between the genera Keteleeria and Tsuga. It is distinguished from
Tsuga by the larger, erect cones with exserted bracts, and (like Keteleeria) male cones
in umbels, and from
Keteleeria by the shorter leaves and smaller cones. Nothotsuga
contains only one species, N. longibracteata, commonly
known as the Bristlecone Hemlock, which is found
in southeastern China, in
southern Fujian, northern Guangdong, northeast Guangxi, northeast Guizhou and southwest Hunan.
It is an evergreen
tree reaching 30 m tall. The leaves are flat, needle-like, 1.2-4 cm
long and 1-2 mm broad, very similar to those of Tsuga. The
cones are very similar to those of Keteleeria but smaller,
2.5-5 cm long, erect, and mature in about 6-8 months after pollination.
It is a very rare tree, endangered in the wild due to
historical deforestation, though it is now
protected. It was discovered in 1932, and at first treated as
Tsuga longibracteata, being classified in its own genus in 1989 when new research
indicated how distinct it is from other species of
Tsuga.
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