望天树 wang tian shu

Parashorea chinensis var. kwangsiensis Lin Chi; Shorea chinensis (H. Wang) H. Zhu (1992), not Merrill (1922); S. wangtianshuea Y. K. Yang & J. K. Wu; S. wangtianshuea var. chuanbanshuea Y. K. Yang & J. K. Wu; S. wangtianshuea subsp. kwangsiensis (Lin Chi) Y. K. Yang & J. K. Wu; S. wangtianshuea subsp. vietnamensis Y. K. Yang & J. K. Wu.

Trees evergreen, lofty emergents, 40(-60) m tall, 0.6-1.5 m in diam., with large stout straight buttresses. Bark gray or brown, shallowly longitudinally fissured on upper part, but exfoliating in masses on lower part, with prominent lines of lenticels on buttress ridges and in fresh fissures. Branchlets gray to yellowish brown scurfy pubescent or tomentose, lenticels orbicular. Stipules caducous, ovate, to 15 × 5 mm in juveniles, papery, scurfy pubescent or tomentose, longitudinally 5-veined, leaving short scars; petiole 1-3 cm, densely pubescent; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate, 6-20 × 3-8 cm, leathery, both surfaces scurfy pubescent or tomentose, lateral veins pinnate in 14-19 pairs conspicuously raised abaxially, tertiary veins conspicuous and subreticulate, base rounded, margin entire, apex acuminate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal cymose panicles 5-12 cm, densely grayish yellow scurfy-pubescent or tomentose, flowers sweetly scented; cymes 2-bracteate at base, 3-8-flowered. Pedicel 2-bracteolate; bracts and bracteoles ovate or ovate-elliptic, 6-13 × 4-7 mm, longitudinally 6-9-veined. Sepals narrowly lanceolate, outside pubescent. Petals yellowish white, 6-11 × 3-7 mm, 10-14-veined. Stamens 15; anthers linear-lanceolate, outer cells apiculate, inner cells much smaller than outer; connective appendages acicular, nearly as long as outer cells. Ovary narrowly ovoid, densely white silky-pubescent; style columnar, ca. twice as long as ovary, glabrous; stigma small, slightly 3-lobed. Fruit (when mature) ellipsoid, densely silvery silky-pubescent; calyx segments subequal, winglike, 6-8 cm × 6-10 mm, longitudinally 5-7-veined, bases narrow, not completely enveloping fruit, often becoming valvate. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Sep.

Valleys, mountain slopes, hills, dense forests on limestone and other rocks; 300-1100 m. W Guangxi (Bama, Longzhou, Napo), S and SE Yunnan (Hekou, Mengla) [N Vietnam].

The wood is brownish yellow, fine-grained, hard, and durable. It is used for various purposes.

The homogeneity of genetic structure of Parashorea chinensis in different populations supported reducing P. chinensis var. kwangsiensis into synonymy (Li and Xu, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 23: 313-320. 2001).