Abies ziyuanensis L.K. Fu & S.L. Mo

Tree to 30 m × <1 m dbh. Crown broad-conical, flat-topped in old trees. Bark of young trees smooth, grey, with ridges and furrows soon developing, breaking into small irregular plates in the bold of old trees. First order branches long, horizontally spreading; second order branches spreading or ascending. Branchlets thick, firm, glossy buff-brown or buff-grey at first, grey by the third year, ridged below the leaves, with shallow grooves, glabrous or with a sparse, short pubescence in the grooves. Vegetative buds conical (not ‘cylindric or ovoid-oblong’ as stated by Farjon (2017)), resinous; bud scales triangular, keeled on the upper side. Leaves pectinately arranged in two ranks either side of shoot, those of the lower ranks considerably longer and more spreading than those of the upper ranks, widely set on vegetative shoots, 2–4.8 cm × 3–3.5 mm, apex obtuse or emarginate, bifid on shaded shoots, dark green above, with two greenish-white stomatal bands beneath. Pollen cones c. 2 cm long, yellowish with red microsporophylls. Seed cones with a short (0.5–1 cm) peduncles, oblong-cylindric or elliptic, apex obtuse, 10–11 × 4–4.5 cm, greenish or yellowish-green when immature, maturing to greenish-brown then dark brown; seed scales broadly cuneate-flabellate, 2.3–2.5 × 3–3.3 cm at mid-cone; bracts oblong-spathulate, 3 mm (near base) to 10 mm (near apex) in width, 2.1–2.3 cm long, ‘included, or slightly exserted near base of cone’ (Farjon 2017); cf. ‘exserted, outspreading’ (Debreczy & Rácz 2011); cf. ‘cusp exserted, reflexed’ (Fu, Li & Mill 1999)). (Farjon 2017; Debreczy & Rácz 2011; Fu, Li & Mill 1999; Fu, Lü & Mo 1980).

Distribution  China NE Guangxi (Rongshui Xian, Yuanbao Shan, Ziyuan Xian), SW Hunan (Chengbu Miaozu Zizhixian, Ling Xian, Xinning Xian), SW Jiangxi (Jinggang Shan)

Habitat Mixed forests, commonly with Fagus spp., at 1400–1800 m asl in mountains characterised by a cool, very wet climate.

Conservation status Critically endangered (CR)