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

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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 © 2021 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