Distribution of Camptotheca Decaisne: Endangered Status

Abstract

Camptotheca Decaisne is endemic to southern China. Since 1934, C. acuminata has been widely introduced to many gardens and arboreta in North America, Asia, and Europe as living collections. Our national surveys in China between 1995 and 1998 indicated that the genus. Camptotheca spp. are severely endangered in native range. Our field surveys failed to locate any wild populations of C. acuminata although it is often cultivated as landscape trees in southern China. We could not identify any living trees of C. acuminata var. tenuifolia and var. rotundifolia. We estimated that there are approximately 500 mature trees of C. lowreyana in Guangdong and less than 50 wild mature trees of C. yunnanensis in Yunnan.