Your reaction to the first photograph may be that this is a strange rose blossom. But, this is not a rose flower–nor is it any flower, for that matter. It’s actually an immature seed cone of a conifer species from southeastern Asia: Keteleeria evelyniana. And no, it doesn’t make a habit of tricking people, this is just an excellently composed photograph of a cone taken at exactly the right stage of development (see a photo of older cones for comparison). The female (seed) cones are much larger than the pollen-producing male cones; mature female cones average around 15cm (6 in.) in length.
Keteleeria evelyniana lacks a common name in English. The species is a somewhat tall member of the Pinaceae (pine family), reaching heights of perhaps 40m (130 ft.) in ideal conditions. Found at elevations from 700-2900m (2300-9500 ft.), this species is native to mountainous subtropical environments with rainfalls typically exceeding 2000 mm in China, Laos, and Vietnam. It is one of only a few pine family species to grow in such climates.
The species is valuable economically. Its timber is insect-resistant, and used in the construction of furniture, railroads, and houses, while essential oils from the seeds can be extracted for incense or soap products. A fairly rapid growth-rate makes it suitable for plantations.
Keteleeria evelyniana is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Exploitation for timber as well as conversion of natural habitat for agriculture have fueled the decline of this species. Vietnam saw a 30% decline of its populations in recent generations, while China has the largest and most widespread numbers. Since it was assessed in 2013, protections for this species are increasing; some forest stands have become nature reserves while other forests are seeing increased regulation and management. In a sad turn of events closer to UBC, a tree of Keteleeria evelyniana was cut down in the Washington Park Arboretum in 2009, by someone possibly in search of a Christmas tree (link: The Seattle Times). Very much adored by the staff of the arboretum according to reports, this tree was planted in 1998 and originated from China’s Yunnan province.
Of the three species that make up Keteleeria, Keteleeria evelyniana and Keteleeria davidiana are extremely similar. They are distinguished most readily by the seed scales and seed wings (as long as the plants have mature cones!). Keteleeria, the monotypic Nothotsuga, and the monotypic Pseudolarix, are also closely-related on the genus level; all three genera are alike in both their production of male cones in umbels from a single bud and their ability to coppice. Few species in the pine family have this latter property, whereby shoots from stumps or roots will regrow after being cut (and another reason why it is good for timber plantations).
Huh, a cone artist.
It definitely has the look of a zombie rose.
I have been to the UCB Botanical Garden, by the way. The first time I got to go for about 2 hours and that was woefully inadequate. The second time, I got to go while I was staying the Bay Area near Fremont for a long term job. I hopped the Bart to Berkeley and hiked up past the “Cal” football stadium, on up the hill to the garden and spent a September day there. Not a single moment felt wasted. I especially enjoyed their reproduction of the deciduous woodland habitat that I grew up spending lots of time in Ohio. I’ve also been to the botanical garden at UC-Davis, which was apparently started out as the experimental farm for UC-Berkeley and evolved to take over all of the agricultural programs and then eventually progress into a great university in its own right. It has quite an acacia collection, along with a lot of other plants with low water requirements, though it lacks the established feel of its older sibling.
Very interesting entry and species. Thank you, Daniel, for sharing the amazing world of plants with us; wonderful photo capture, James Gaither.
Oh, this was Dominic’s entry–but we as a group appreciate your gratitude.
Seeing the immature seed cone of this unusual conifer in the pine family with its green petal-like scales immediately brought to mind the vexing unsolved problem first raised by Charles Darwin, namely the origin of the flowering plants. There are many fossil plant candidates dating back to Cretaceous times, but none are yet definitive as ancestral to today’s flowering plants (angiosperms). The magnolia family has a rich fossil record, also stretching back to the era of the dinosaurs. Similar to today’s image of Evelyn’s Keteleeria, magnolia species have many petals surrounding a central core, And the magnolias, like the pines have members which produce either separate or combined male and female reproductive ‘cones’. And pine needles are just skinny leaves. Such similarities are probably due to convergent evolution (adaptations to semi-tropical conditions in SE Asia) rather than close phylogeny. But nevertheless it’s fun to speculate. Great photos. ps. I worked in the UCB Botanical Garden back in the late 1950’s as a “Fair Bear” student gardener (wage of @1.25/hour)!
I liked seeing the before and after photos of the cones – and what a lovely habit the tree has.
The theft of any tree is so very sad, let alone the loss of such a rare delight. I wish they had caught the perpetrator and made him foot the bill for an expedition to China to try to find another seedling.. One of my neighbors had a beautiful conifer in his yard and several years ago someone took off the top off it to use as a small tree for Christmas.
You mentioned that this genus has the ability to coppice- do you know if the sawn down tree at Wash grew back at all?
No, I don’t believe so — maybe someone from UW can comment.
so, how far into the temperate zone can it grow?
Most sites claim that it can grow in USDA Zones 7-10, meaning that it can withstand minimum temperatures of -17.7 °C (0 °F) to 1.7 °C (35 °F).