One of our prized confers in the garden is the little-known, Nothotsuga longibracteata. Originally thought to be a hemlock, this Chinese native hails from several of the southern provinces, where they grow on acidic soils at elevations between 1,000′ and 7,000′. Sadly, they are now endangered due to excessive logging. In the wild, they eventually reach 100′, but in gardens, you’ll probably not live long enough for them to top 25′ in height. Hardiness Zone 7b-9b, at least.
a beautiful tree all too rare in either cultivation or commerce in North America.
I’m a bit confused about the use in botanical naming of the prefix ‘notho’, which I’ve looked up and it is from the Greek, meaning hybrid, false, or illegitimate. It is used in the terms ‘nothogenus’ and ‘nothospecies’, where it may be indicated in the name of the plant with the letter ‘x’ (Genus × hybridus).
‘Notho’ is also used in naming some genera–Nothofagus, Notholithocarpa, and here, Nothotsuga.
I am presuming that this second use (in naming) is to indicate falsity–it looks a lot like a Fagus, Lithocarpa, or Tsuga, but has been proven to be of a different genus, and that the term ‘Notho’ has been incorporated into the genus name as a historical artifact or following the model of the primary uses of the term ‘notho’ in the genus name.
Am I correct? Please help me get my head around the use of this term!
You are correct. Notho does mean false, but with plant nomenclature, it’s use has morphed into, a plant that looks superficially similiar, but is not the same.