Pinus hwangshanensis W.Y. Hsia

Tree to 25 m, trunk straight and to 1 m dbh. Bark scaly, dark grey or purplish grey, developing longitudinal fissures. Crown conical initially, later flat-topped. Branchlets dark brown to chestnut brown, glabrous; vegetative buds slightly resinous. Leaves in fascicles of two, persisting for three to four years, dark green, slender, semicircular in cross-section, 5–12 × 0.08–0.1 cm, margins serrulate, apex acute. Fascicle sheaths 0.5–1 cm long, chestnut brown, persistent. Cataphylls 0.6–0.8 cm, pale brown, early deciduous. Male strobili reddish brown. Female cones subterminal, sessile or short-pedunculate. Cones 3.5–7 × 4–7 cm, yellowish brown, broad-ovoid, maturing in about 18 months, deciduous or persistent, often losing a few basal scales on falling. Scales spreading very wide at maturity, to 90° or even reflexed, 1.8–3 × 0.8–1.4 cm; apophysis rounded, swollen, yellowish brown; umbo dorsal, with a minute, persistent prickle. Seeds dark brown; wings effective, 1.2–1.8 × 0.4–0.6 cm. Li & Keng 1994a, Fu et al. 1999c, Businský 2003. Distribution CHINA: Anhui, Fujian, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang. Habitat In open areas and on sunny ridges in warm temperate and montane forests, between 600 and 3400 m asl. USDA Hardiness Zone 7. Conservation status Lower Risk. Illustration NT604. Cross-reference S375. Taxonomic note The taxonomy of P. hwangshanensis is complex. It was treated as a synonym of P. taiwanensis by Fu et al. (1999c), but in the same publication Mill considered that P. taiwanensis was endemic to Taiwan, while all material from the Chinese mainland was referable to P. hwangshanensis. Farjon (2001), however, recognised P. taiwanensis var. damingshanensis W.C. Cheng & L.K. Fu on the Chinese mainland. Li (1997) described P. hwangshanensis and P. taiwanensis as subspecies of the Japanese P. luchuensis, and it is clear that these three taxa form a close group. The most recent account of P. hwangshanensis (Businský 2003) recognises a new subspecies, subsp. transfluminea Businský, from the Dabie Shan Mountains (Anhui, Hubei, Henan), with longer needles (10–16 cm long) and cones (4–8 cm long). This subspecies forms hybrids with P. massoniana on the northwest face of the Miaodoiu Shan Massif.