Picea neoveitchii Mast.

Tree 15–20 m tall, to 60 cm dbh. Crown broad conical, domed and somewhat thin in old trees. Bark rough, scaly, detaching from a young age in thin flakes, pale brown in young trees, soon turning grey. First order branches long, relatively thick, spreading horizontally; second order branches rather short, spreading or assurgent. Branchlets slender, stiff, yellowish to yellowish-brown in the first year, yellowish-grey and later grey in future years, ridged and grooved, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; pulvini small, directed forwards or erect on leading shoots. Vegetative buds conical to ovoid-conical, 5–6 × 3.5–4 mm, not or slightly resinous; bud scales triangular, obtuse, appressed, weakly pubescent at base, purplish brown, matt, persisting several years. Leaves spreading radially, assurgent and forward above shoot, variably parted below, relatively stiff, 15–25 × c. 2 mm, curved, keeled, apex acute to pungent, quadrangular-rhomboid in cross-section with 4–7 lines of stomata on each face; leaves dark green with pale stomatal bands. Pollen cones c. 2 cm long. Seed cones oblong to ovoid-cylindric, apex tapering to a point when closed, obtuse when open, sessile, (7–)8–14 × 4.5–6.5 cm with opened scales, green or yellowish-green at first, ripening to pale brown. Seed scales broad-obovate (or broad-flabellate near cone apex), 2.5–3.2 × 2.5–3 cm at midcone, opening very wide, somewhat swollen, surface finely striated, smooth at maturity, glabrous, upper margin entire, rounded or obtuse, incurved or undulate, convex, base cuneate. Bracts ligulate, 4–5 mm long, entirely included. Seeds ovoid-oblong, 5–7 × 4.5 mm, dark brown; seed wings obovate, 15–18 × 8–10 mm, light brown. (Farjon 2017; Zhang, Katsuki & Rushforth 2019; Fu, Li & Mill 1999).

Distribution  China S Gansu, SW Henan (Neixiang Xian), W Hubei, S Shaanxi, NE Shanxi (Wutai Shan), Sichuan

Habitat Scattered on mid-elevation mountain slopes and in river basins, especially in rocky places, at 1300–2000 m asl in areas that typically receive 700–900 mm rainfall per year. Associate conifers include Picea asperata, Tsuga chinensis and Abies chensiensis (and Pinus armandii above c. 1800 m asl) with broadleaves including Alniaria folgneri, Betula kweichowensis subsp. kweichowensis, B. luminifera and Toxicodendron vernicifluum.

Conservation status Critically endangered (CR)