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]
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.
Protection and conservation
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 plants in Guangdong Province.
^ abLiguo Fu; Nan Li & Robert R. Mill. "Amentotaxus argotaenia". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
