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Scientific name:	Tsuga chinensis (Franch.) Pritz. Ex Diels var. formosana (Hayata) Li & Keng

Features:	Tsuga chinensis are large, evergreen coniferous trees that can stand up to 50m high. Their leaves are concentrated on the crowns and tips of their branches and twigs, which grow outward horizontally and give the tree the appearance of a very large, beautiful green umbrella when viewed from a distance. The Tsuga chinensis has a trunk that is straight and erect, depressed leaves that are arranged in a spiral, leaf apices that are either obtuse or retuse, and scaly bark that is grayish-brown in color. The trees have monoecious flowers, with female flowers being dark red and cylindrical while male flowers are dark yellow, spherical, have strobilus, and are found on axillary branches. Tsuga chinensis have brown, ovate- or oval-shaped cones, and their seeds develop wings when mature, allowing them to be spread by the wind while the cones remain attached to the branches. Large populations of Tsuga chinensis are usually found growing together in foggy, coniferous forests. The trees, which are somewhat hard to identify in direct sunlight, are more easily apparent on foggy and cloudy days via their silhouette. As sunlight rarely shines through the trees' dense shade, seedlings sometimes have a hard time growing.
Habitat:	Tsuga chinensis are found in Taiwan's central and southern mountains at altitudes of 1800-2900m. Since their commercial value is lower than that of Hinoki trees, and access to them on the forest floor is usually blocked by Yushania niitakayamensis, Tsuga chinensis are relatively free from the threat of illegal logging operations and remain fairly well preserved in their natural environment.
High-Altitude Areas>Flora>Tsuga chinensis