It belongs to theBetulaceaeFamily, with the Latin name ofOstrya rehderian
The deciduous arbor is 21 meters high, with a chest diameter of 1 meter. Its seal brown bark has longitudinal dehiscence. The first year's twigs are taupe and covered with fluffs. The inter-growing leaves, 4.5 to 10 centimeters long and 2.4 to 4 centimeters wide, are oblong or oval, with irregular sawteeth on the edges. It bears unisexual flowers and is a kind of monoecious plant. The male inflorescences always cluster every 3 ones while the female inflorescences are borne single. The infructescence is 3.5 to 5 centimeters long, with the chief peduncle of 1.5 to 2 centimeters long. The nutlets are reddish-brown and with thin longitudinal ribs.
It usually grows in piedmont forest fringes or beside the forests, which are at an altitude of 170 meters, with the pH value of 4.7 to 5.3. The main accompanying plants are Chinese red pine, Cyclobalanopsis glauca, Castanopsis sclerophylla and yellow sandalwood. The male inflorescences appear in July and blossom in April of the ensuing year. The female inflorescences appear with the annual twigs. The leaves fully unfurl in the middle ten days of April. The fruits ripen in the middle ten days of September and the leaves defoliate in the middle ten days of November.
Tianmu Ironwood is only distributed in the west of Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang Province, and there are only 5 individuals found at present. It is not only an endemic species of China, but also the only species of the genus distributed in East China; therefore it is of great importance for research.
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