Native to western China where logging has depleted the population and subsequently fire and grazing have restricted regeneration.
Distribution
Native to China in the provinces of: Sichuan (Kangding and Jiuzhaigou in the Zheduo Shan) and Qinghai (Ban Ma Xian)
The subpopulation near Jiuzhaigou has an estimated 450 trees but the sizes of other subpopulations are unknown.
Habitat and Ecology
Picea retroflexa is a typical subalpine species, which occurs between 3000 to 4000 metres above sea-level. (to 4700m east of Dawu, Schmidt-Vogt, 1977), mainly on N-facing slopes on acidic soils. The climate is continental alpine with low annual precipitation. At the highest elevations it grows either pure or mixed with Abies squamata, but at lower elevations Picea likiangensis var. rubescens, P. aurantiaca, Abieschensiensis and Tsuga chinensis may occur with it. Betula albosinensis is the only common broad-leaved tree species in these forests.
Human Uses
Although no uses are specifically reported of this species, its timber has been exploited together with that of other species in the area and put to the same uses. This spruce was introduced to Europe and the USA by Ernest Wilson and is still present in several arboreta, often identified as P. asperata.
Conservation Status
Global status
Endangered A2cd
Global rationale
The available evidence supports a considerable past decline in the population of Picea retroflexa but a currently stable situation. Accordingly Endangered under criterion A2 provides the most accurate category of threat on the current evidence.
Global threats
Intensive unsustainable logging of montane and subalpine forests during the period from 1950 to 1990 (Ryavec & Winkler, 2006), coupled with the limited range of this taxon has led to a significant recent decline that is estimated to be at least 50%. An ongoing decline is suspected due to fires and grazing preventing natural regeneration and hampering afforestation efforts.
Conservation Actions
The Government of China has recently imposed a ban on logging in western China. One subpopulation is within Jiuzhaigou Valley Nature Reserve
References and further reading
Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Ryavec, K. & D. Winkler. (2006). Logging impacts to forests in Tibetan areas of southwest China: a case study from Ganze Prefecture based on 1998 Landsat TM imagery. Himalaya 26(1-2): 38-45.
Schmidt-Vogt, H. (1977). Die Fichte: Ein Handbuch in zwei Banden. Band 1: Taxonomie, Verbreitung, Morphologie, ökologie, Waldgesellschaften. . Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg.
Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds). (1999). Flora of China: Vol.4. Cycadaceae through Fagaceae. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis).
Zhang, D, Li, N., Katsuki, T. & Rushforth, K. (2013). Picea retroflexa. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 13 July 2013.
