Cyclocarya paliurus

The Cyclocarya is a monotypic genus of the Juglandaceae family. Its only species, Cyclocarya paliurus, was formerly included in the genus Pterocarya as Pterocarya paliurus. It is native to eastern and central China.

Description

It is a deciduous tree that reaches up to 30 m in height. The foliage is similar to that of Pterocarya, with pinnate leaves 20-25 cm long with five to eleven leaflets, the leaflets being 5-14 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The flowers are catkins, the male ones (pollen) are produced in clusters (not singly as in Pterocarya), the female catkins 25-30 cm long at maturity, have several small nuts with wings 2.5-6 cm in diameter.

Distribution and habitat

Found in moist mountain forests at elevations of 400-2,500 meters in Anhui, Fujian, Canton, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang.

Taxonomy

Cyclocarya paliurus was described by (Batalin) Iljinsk. and published in Trudy Bot. Inst. Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R., Ser. 1, Fl. Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 10: 115 1953.

Sinonimia

• Cyclocarya paliurus var. micropaliurus (Tsoong) P.S.Hsu, X.Z. Feng & L.G. Xu
• Pterocarya micropaliurus Tsoong
• Pterocarya paliurus Batalin