Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

common Chinafir Cupressaceae Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: CULA
Leaf: Evergreen, linear, gradually tapering to a sharp point, 1 to 3 inches long, thick and tough, spirally arranged but displayed two-ranked; shiny dark green above, two broad white stomatal bands below; remain alive for up to 5 years and are very persistent when dead.
Flower: Species is monoecious; males cylindrical in terminal clusters, yellow-brown; females globuse, yellow-green and terminal.
Fruit: Round cones 1 1/2 to 2 inches across, reflexed pointed scales, usually several together at the ends of branches, persistent.
Twig: Green the first year, needles densely arranged, young branches whorled, later becoming more irregular.
Bark: Gray-brown on the outside, irregularly scaly and peeling to reveal the reddish brown inner bark.
Form: Conical crown with a broad base up to 75 feet tall.
 Looks like: Japanese cryptomeria

common Chinafir leaf image
common Chinafir flower image
common Chinafir fruit image
common Chinafir twig image
common Chinafir bark image
common Chinafir form image
common Chinafir map image

Additional Range Information: Cunninghamia lanceolata is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information