CHINESE EXOTIC WOODS
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Chinese Yew - Taxus Chinensis Taxus Chinensis has survived in China for 100 million years. It is a variety of yew and can be found only in China: Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, S Gansu, N Guangxi, Guizhou, W Hubei, NE Hunan, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, E Yunnan and Zhejiang and northern Vietnam adjacent to Yunnan province in China. In China it is found at eleva9ons of 1100 to 2700 m in evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, oIen along streams, oIen in areas with bamboo thickets. It is classified "Endangered" as logging has reduced the distribu9on of this species, especially in Vietnam, and harves9ng for medicinal purposes (primarily Taxol extrac9on) has certainly done so, leading to a large and rapid reduc9on in the species' area of occupancy. The popula9on of wild Chinese yew is es9mated to around 800,000 individuals. This popula9on has decreased by more than 50% since 1990 aIer scien9sts found that it can produce taxol used to treat cancer. In China, this species (under the name of Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis) is listed as a Category 1 protected species, meaning exploita9on is prohibited. All forms of harves9ng wild plants were banned in 2003 and the government has gone to the level of labeling individual trees in an effort to maintain an inventory and protect them. Interna9onally, this species is listed on CITES Appendix II and in China planta9ons have been established with the aim to harvest foliage for pharmaceu9cal purposes. The wood of Taxus chinensis has been used in China for construc9on, barrel making, furniture, and for wood carving and turning. Extracts of many parts of the plant (roots, wood, bark and leaves) are used in tradi9onal medicine, while in modern 9mes it has been used as a source of an9-cancer drugs such as Taxol which is derived from the bark and leaves. The seeds contain oils that are also extracted, but treatment is necessary to neutralize the poisonous alkaloids. It is doubvul whether this species is in cul9va9on outside China and Vietnam, though it can be found in a few botanical gardens. Chinese yew is a unique species surviving from the Cretaceous period of dinosaurs in China. Fortunately, the Chinese government recognizes this heritage and is taking extreme measures to protect its own. Woe be9de anyone who cuts down a tree without authorisa9on. If such an act should be carried out - and such things can happen accidently in the countryside- the value of the wood is such that in the hands of an expert carver a work of art can be created that would fetch thousands (or even tens of thousands) of US dollars. Check eBay!!!!
