H. L. Li (J. Arnold. Arbor. 33: 195. 1952) separated plants from W Hubei and Sichuan as Amentotaxus cathayensis, on the basis of leaf shape and length, and the stomatal bands being narrower (15-20 rows of stomata), instead of broader (22-25 rows in A. argotaenia), than the marginal bands. Amentotaxus cathayensis has not usually been accepted because these characters are not constant, although the stomatal band character did usually separate the two taxa in the sample examined by the authors. They can also be differentiated by presence (A. cathayensis) or absence (A. argotaenia) of a distinct petiole 1-3 mm. More research is needed to settle the status of A. cathayensis, which is here included provisionally in the synonymy of var. argotaenia.
Amentotaxus argotaenia, the catkin yew, is a species of conifer in the family Taxaceae. It is a shrub or a small tree up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall.[2]
Amentotaxus argotaenia var. brevifolia has been described from southern Guizhou and listed separately by IUCN.[3] Amentotaxus formosana was previously recognised as a variant of A. argotaenia.[4]
In mainland China, the species is found in Fujian, southern Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, western Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, northwestern Jiangxi, central and southeastern Sichuan, southeastern Tibet and southern Zhejiang. It also occurs in Taiwan.[2] In Hong Kong, it is distributed in Ma On Shan, Tai Mo Shan, Mount Parker, Sunset Peak, Lantau Peak, and Sai Kung Peninsula. In the Shing Mun Arboretum, a living specimen is displayed.[5]
Outside China, it occurs in northern Vietnam.[6]
The status of the species is not good as the growth rate of the plant is slow and its regeneration is infrequent. Its seeds are poorly dispersed and predated by rats.
The declining of the population is also caused by forest clearing and habitat modification.
In Hong Kong, this species is under protection based on Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A. All the localities of the species occurrence are within Country Parks under protection.[5] Tai Mo Shan Montane Scrub Forest in the upper Shing Mun Valley was assigned as a Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1975 as the forest supports this rare species and other species, Camellia granthamiana, Camellia waldenae, and many species of orchids.
In 2020 40 saplings raised at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland as part of an International Conifer Conservation Programme, were sent to Hong Kong to be planted.[7]
In Mainland China, it is recorded in China Plant Red Data Book and Illustrations of Rare and Endangered plant in Guangdong Province.
Amentotaxus argotaenia, the catkin yew, is a species of conifer in the family Taxaceae. It is a shrub or a small tree up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall.
Amentotaxus argotaenia var. brevifolia has been described from southern Guizhou and listed separately by IUCN. Amentotaxus formosana was previously recognised as a variant of A. argotaenia.
