One of the late JC Raulston’s favorite conifers was Keteleeria davidiana. Although we certainly enjoy our garden specimen, it doesn’t have nearly the elegance of many of the firs or spruces. That said, it is odd, and we always like odd. Thanks to JC, I was already familiar with the plant, when it showed up one night for dinner, as we dined in one of the remote regions of Yunnan, China. I immediately recognized the needles, which had been boiled for our dinner…most likely intended as roughage, for which it certainly qualified. I gave it the old college try, but after 10 minutes, it was obvious that my teeth were simply not designed for masticating keteleeria, so off into my pocket it went until I could leave the table.
When it comes time for family reunions, Keteleeria hangs out with the other members of the Pinaceae family, which includes: Pinus (pines), Abies (firs), Picea (spruce), Tsuga (hemlock), Pseudotsuga (false hemlocks), Larix (larch), Pseudolarix (false larch), Cedrus (cedars), and the rare Cathaya (cathaya). There have been over a dozen published species names in the genus, but after further study, only four remain valid. We have grown all, but Keteleeria weixinensis, for which we have yet to find a source.
We’re not sure why the cones were produced en force this year, but we are certainly enjoying the show. Unlike its cousin, Abies, whose cones fall apart on the tree, the cones of Keteleeria fall intact, making them great to use for holiday decorations. Our 25 year old specimen is now approaching 50′ in height.
Maybe it would be tastier cooked French style with lots of wine and butter?
I’m not sure that would help with the incredible toughness of the needles.
Tony
I have this tree in my yard that is about 20 years old and it was completely free of damage from our 3 hurricanes in 13 months in Valdosta, GA. This might be a good replacement for our other pines that were destroyed. I collected cones and got a good supply of seed.
I’ve been trying to find seeds of Keteleeria davidiana for a couple months now and can’t find them anywhere online. For whatever reason you can find fortunei and evelyniana everywhere but not davidiana. I live towards the top of Georgia where only davidiana will grow and I was wondering if there’s any way for you to send me some seeds? It’s such a cool tree to me and I would love to be able to grow some.
I’ve been trying to find seeds of Keteleeria davidiana for a couple months now and can’t find them anywhere online. For whatever reason you can find fortunei and evelyniana everywhere but not davidiana. I live towards the top of Georgia where only davidiana will grow and I was wondering if there’s any way for you to send me some seeds? It’s such a cool tree to me and I would love to be able to grow some
We hope to have seed available for our garden members seed distribution program this year.