Yuanbaoshan Fir

An endangered species.

Trees to 25 m tall; trunk to 60 cm d.b.h.; bark dark red-brown, irregularly fissured; branchlets initially yellow- or light brown, turning brownish black in 2nd or 3rd year, glabrous; winter buds brown-red, conical, very resinous. Leaves slightly or rarely radially spreading and shorter on upper side of branchlets, laterally spreading and longer on lower side, linear, 1-2.7 cm × 1.8-2.5 mm, stomatal lines in 2 white bands abaxially, resin canals 2, marginal, margin recurved when dry, apex emarginate. Seed cones green or yellow-green, ripening light brown-yellow, shortly cylindric, 8-9 × 4.5-5 cm. Seed scales at middle of cones flabellate-trapeziform, ca. 2 × 2.2 cm, exposed part densely pale pubescent, margin recurved, auriculate laterally at base, distal part thickened, apex rounded-truncate. Bracts obviously exserted and recurved, at least as long as seed scales, distal part widely rounded, apex with a small cusp. Seeds obtriangular-ellipsoid, vesicular, dark red-brown resinous, ca. 1 cm; wing cuneate, ca. 2 × longer than seed. Pollination May, seed maturity Oct.

N Guangxi (Rongshui Miaozu Zizhixian, Yuanbao Shan)

* 1700-2100 m.

Abies yuanbaoshanensis is a species of fir tree in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in the Yuanbao Mountains within Guangxi province of China. It is a critically endangered species. It is estimated that only 700 trees exist, including saplings