Practical
Plants

Glyptostrobus pensilis

Chinese Swamp Cypress

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Glyptostrobus genus in the family Taxodiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
10 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Antidote, oxytocic. Cures ascites, treats animal bites and dropsy of pregnant women[3]. A decoction of the shoots is used in the treatment of fever, hepatitis, skin complaints etc. It is said to be an anodyne for animal bites[6].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Oxytoxic
Product or use
Skin
Product or use
Women's complaints

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The roots have high buoyancy and are used to make life buoys, bottle corks, etc[7]. Tannins extracted from the bark and the cone scales are used in tanning, dyeing, and fishing nets[7]. Having an extensive root system, it is often planted in wet places for erosion control, to stabilize river banks and paddy field walls[8][5][7]. It is also used as a windbreak[7]. Wind-felled trees are used in constructing buildings, bridges and furniture[7].

Product or use
Cork
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
E. Asia - S.E. China.
Habitat
River deltas, etc., on flooded or waterlogged soil in full sun near sea level[7]. This species is usually planted and is possibly extinct in the wild[4][5][7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold greenhouse in late winter. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors. Cuttings. Again, no details but we would try taking cuttings of mature wood in the late autumn or winter in a frame.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Thriving beside water and in damp places, plants require a very damp soil and will prove hardier if they are standing in up to 60cm of water[8][5]. They prefer growing in areas with hot summers and will die within 2 years if they are planted in a dry site[8]. This species is rarely hardy in Britain[1], plants do not succeed outdoors at Kew[2]. Although said to succeed in zone 8, this species is barely hardy in colder zones without hot humid summers (to ripen the wood) and even then only attains 3 - 4 metres in height[5]. The southern distribution of this species is quite hardy but is sometimes thought to be tender due to its being planted in the wrong site. It must be given a wet soil, preferably standing water[8]. This species is considered to be a symbol of good luck in its native regions and consequently it is not normally deliberately felled by villagers[7]. Slower growing than the vegetatively similar swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, it is late coming into leaf in the spring and also to lose its leaves in the autumn[8]. Trees occasionally reach 25 metres tall in the wild[2].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  4. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩

  7. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  8. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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