Some were mounted specifically for the investigation of the area in which Metasequoia glyptostroboides was discovered as an extant plant, while others were conducted for the general botanical exploration of the flora of Central China. The botanical expeditions that have contributed to our knowledge of the metasequoia flora are numerous. The names listed under 'other localities' are alphabetically arranged.īOTANICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN CENTRAL CHINA AND THE Cross-references to different spellings of various names that have already appeared in publications are given below, where recognized spellings are given in boldface type. Names of minor localities have been transliterated using the system of romanization outlined in the Harvard University Press edition of Mathew's (1931) A Chinese-English Dictionary. Fu on Salix (1974) appeared under his name as Zhan Wang, the initial of his given name adopted here is Z.Ĭoncerning localities, for names of well-known places such as Chungking, Hupeh, and Szechwan, the widely recognized spellings of the Chinese Post Office and foreign presses have been adopted, and the Rand McNally World Atlas (Anonymous, 1949) has been used as a reference. However, with regard to the name of the man who discovered metasequoia, earlier authors have used either T. For collectors the spellings on the herbarium labels have been used. In this article, the following guidelines have been used in deciding between alternative spellings of Chinese personal and place names. For those who lack a knowledge of the geography of the region and the Chinese language, these differences are often confusing. Assistance of specialists is recognized in parentheses after either the group or the species.Įarlier authors have employed different spellings for the same collectors or localities. Nomenclatural change is involved, only the name, important synonyms, and voucher specimens are cited. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 61: 41-94. (c) President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1980. In the enumeration of species, the system followed in the arrangement of the families conforms with that used in Iconographia Cormophytorurn Sinicorum (Anonymous, 1972-1976). Only information not available in these three readily available articles is included here.

Fulling (1976), along with additions published in 1977, summarizes the history of the discovery of Metasequoia glyptostroboides and presents an annotated bibliography of published references to metasequoia. Cooper published the results of an ecological reconnaissance of the metasequoia community. Also included are brief summaries of the expeditions that obtained the five collections, as well as a short account of earlier botanical collections from Central China, a description of the salient features of the metasequoia flora, an analysis of the gymnosperms that occur with metasequoia, and my interpretation of the metasequoia flora. glyptostroboides was later discovered growing in a 'natural population (see below). While the type locality of Metasequoia glyptostroboides is in eastern Szechwan, the specimens on which this work is based are from the general area (here referred to as the 'metasequoia area') in Hupeh Province where M. A systematic enumeration of all identifiable species represented in the five collections (an assemblage of species here termed the 'metasequoia flora') is presented below. In 1973 this herbarium material was turned over to me for identification, and this article is concerned with the information resulting from that undertaking. In addition to the seed, five shipments of herbarium specimens collected in southwestern Hupeh Province between 19 were received at the Arnold Arboretum by the late Professor Elmer D. glyptostroboides that had been collected during the summer of 1948. Cheng concerning the shipment was later placed with the unmounted specimens of M. These seeds, mailed from Nanking, China, on November 29, 1948, and totaling 500 grams, were the second shipment received at the Arnold Arboretum. At that time help was needed to place fresh, recently imported metasequoia seed into small envelopes for distribution to botanical institutions, forest experiment stations, and interested individuals around the world. MY FIRST ASSOCIATION with Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng was at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University during the winter of 1948-1949. The Metasequoia Flora and Its Phytogeographic Significance THE METASEQUOIA FLORA AND ITS PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE

Metasequoia 4.5