Tree of the day: Cunninghamia konishii, Taiwan fir, Harris Garden
Cunninghamia konishii is a species of evergreen needleleaf coniferous plants (in the Cupressaceae or Cypress family), native to Taiwan and parts of southern China.
Cunninghamia konishii is a species of evergreen needleleaf coniferous plants (in the Cupressaceae or Cypress family), native to Taiwan and parts of southern China. The tree has a formal, symmetrical appearance, due to its pyramidal shape and dense glossy foliage, which comprises stiff, dark green, needle-like leaves arranged spirally along the branches. Its bark is grey or reddish-brown, with vertical fissures and irregular flakes. Cunninghamia konishii can grow quickly into a large tree of 40–50 metres in the forests of its native habitat. It has become an endangered species because of exploitation for its timber, which is soft, light, aromatic and insect-resistant, and highly valued for construction of houses, temples and coffins. In cultivation it is slower-growing, and planted for its ornamental value as a specimen in parks.
about this species
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This photo is one of 9501 photos of 887 trees in 338 species
This website is a virtual arboretum, created for interest, education and beauty. It exhibits some of the thousands of trees, of both native and exotic species, that grow in Whiteknights Park, the main campus of the University of Reading. Many of them have been planted since the university arrived in 1947, but some have been here since the 19th century or earlier, when Whiteknights was the gardens and parkland of large houses. More than a hundred of the trees are listed in The Tree Register, nine as British Isles champions (the largest or tallest of their species).
Please send any comments about this website to whiteknights-trees@reading.ac.uk.
The previous version of this website is here.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank: Rupert Taylor, Owen Johnson, Alastair Culham, Jonathan Mitchley, Jordan Bilsborrow, Marcus Wheeler, Benoît Vannière, Miguel Teixeira and Claire Hawkins for tree identifications; Brian Hunt and Trevor Smith for testing routes and contributing text; Dylan Parkes, Martin Watts, Emilija Rudzinskaite, Brian and Trevor for collaboration on the centenary project; Dan Hodson for useful code examples; Studio Lift for website style; Brian, Trevor, Nathanaël van Twillert and Guy Raveh for comments and suggestions on website user experience; Benoît, Marcus, Steve George, Mark Wrightham, Brian, Trevor, the Friends of the University of Reading, and other friends for their encouragement during the development of the website; the University and its grounds staff for maintaining Whiteknights Park.