Amentotaxus formosana

Amentotaxus formosana
A. formosana underside of foliage showing stomata, Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Taxaceae
Genus:	Amentotaxus
Species:	A. formosana
Binomial name
Amentotaxus formosana H.L. Li

Taiwan Catkin Yew, Amentotaxus formosana, is a species of conifer in the Taxaceae family. It is a small tree to 10 m (33 ft) tall, with a slender trunk.^[2] It was previously recognised as a variant of Amentotaxus argotaenia.^[1]

Amentotaxus formosana is found only in Taiwan where it only occurs in four localities of cloud forest in the Hengchun Peninsula, in the extreme south of the island.^[1] IUCN considers A. formosana as critically endangered because of its populations are small and threatened by habitat loss.^[1] The populations are characterized by very low levels of genetic diversity.^[3]

The wood is used for making furniture and handicrafts, etc., and the species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental tree.^[2]

References

1. Thomas, P. (2010). "Amentotaxus formosana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
2. Liguo Fu, Nan Li & Robert R. Mill. "Amentotaxus formosana". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
3. Wang, C. T.; Wang, W. Y.; Chiang, C. H.; Wang, Y. N.; Lin, T. P. (1996). "Low genetic variation in Amentotaxus formosana Li revealed by isozyme analysis and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers". Heredity 77 (4): 388–395. doi:10.1038/hdy.1996.158.