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    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
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  • Cunninghamia lanceolata & C. lanceolata 'Glauca'

Cunninghamia lanceolata & C. lanceolata 'Glauca'

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Common name: Chinese fir


Cunninghamia lanceolata is native to Eastern Asia, and several specimens are found in the Sino-Himalayan Garden. Its stiff, blue-greenish, needle-like leaves form a spiral around the branch, which is quite flat. Its cones are similar to those of the redwood, with peltate (shield-like) scales on stalks. Cold will kill some of the leaves, and they may stay on the tree for a long time. It has been long valued as a source of timber in China. Archeological studies of ancient shipwrecks and Ming dynasty shipyards confirm the use of Cunninghamia in shipbuilding, with accounts of huge Ming Dynasty treasure ships and voyages to Africa by navigator Zheng He in the early 15th century.


From Erica's notes: In 1702, James Cunningham, botanist, explorer and surgeon for the East India Company, identified the China Fir, an interesting link between the Sequoia and Araucaria. The foliage is similar to the latter, but the cones differ in that there are three seeds to a scale, whereas the araucaria has only one. They remain on the tree after shedding their seeds, which ripen in one to two years. The foliage is retained for four to five years and drops off as branchlets. These trees are much valued for coffin-making, the wood being aromatic.


We have several specimens in the Garden, including the cultivar C. lanceolata 'Glauca' which has blue-tinged foliage. Sometimes the tree builds up a lot of dead branches inside, and the gardeners remove them with a rake.


'Glauca' tree photo taken by Tresa Horney, Oct. 2021

Other 'Glauca' foliage photos taken by Hughie Jones

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  • Home
  • Updates
    • What's New
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Gardener Walks
    • Curator Updates
    • Guide Training
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2025
      • Walks and Talks 2024
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Conifer Connect Exhibit
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists >
      • Plant Locator
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
    • Internet links
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact