Cunninghamia

( kun - ing - HAM - ee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Commonly called China Fir (though not considered an actual Fir), this genus of evergreen trees needs full sun and moderate water. They are picturesque plants, with heavy trunks and tiered, whorled drooping branches clothed in dark green needles. Species are native to China, northern Vietnam and Laos, as well as Cambodia. Trees typically reach up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide in garden cultivation (up to 160 feet tall in the wild), and foliage takes on reddish and bronzey tones in cooler winter temperatures. The general shape of these trees is handsome and conical. These trees are sometimes used as Christmas trees in the southern United States, and as ornamental or specimen trees in parks and larger gardens.

cunninghamia species and Varietals

The genus Cunninghamia includes one to two species and is a member of the Cypress family Cupressaceae. The genus name honors the British doctor who introduced these trees into cultivation in 1702 (Dr. James Cunningham) as well as the botanist Allan Cunningham. Cunninghamia trees grow well in zones 4-6 and 14-21. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
Cunninghamia lanceolata (China Fir)
This species is the only living member of the genus, and has a few choice varieties that do well in residential landscapes. They are typically used as specimen trees in temperate landscapes. Bark color ranges from dark gray to dark brown when trees are mature, and foliage consists of green spirally arranged needles. Male cones form in clusters of between 10 and 30 and female cones form in clusters of 2 or 3. Cones mature after seven months. 
'Glauca'
This variety has beautiful grey-blue foliage, and is more widely grown and hardier than the species.
'Little Leo'
Slowly grows to form a flattened mound of bright green needles, turning bronze-purple in wintertime.

Caring for and pruning cunninghamia Trees

As trees grow, they tend to sucker around their bases, sending up small erect branches with some foliage. Suckering becomes worse following damage to stems and roots, and if too much damage occurs, these trees can grow as multi-trunked specimens. Trees are highly tolerant of heat.

Propagation

Cunninghamia can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your tree or shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Cunninghamia by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In late summer or fall, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch semi-hardwood portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Cunninghamia by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. 
  2. Harvest your seeds. The seeds on these plants are found within female cones that appear in late summertime or early fall. Seeds are mature at this time, and cones can either be picked from the tree or collected underneath trees after they fall. The cones will be reddish-brown in color when ready to be harvested. Collect as many cones as possible, and then place them in a paper bag to contain them as they continue to open and release seeds.
  3. The seeds will need to be cold-stratified before they will germinate. This is achieved by placing seeds in a plastic bag or other sealable container filled with moistened sand. The container is placed in a refrigerator and left for about 30 days. Remove seeds from the bag after this time has passed, and then soak them in lukewarm water for 24 hours. Any seeds that float can be discarded, as they will not germinate.
  4. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  5. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Seedlings will need to be kept in a sheltered location in a container for the first 3 to 4 years of life, and can then be transplanted out into the landscape.

Problems and Pests

Cunninghamia trees typically don't have many pests or disease issues, though they can suffer from time to time from:
  • Shoot Blight
  • Leaf Blight
For more information on these problems, see the following pages:
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Gallery

Wood of Cunninghamia trees is prized; it is soft yet durable and highly scented. Timber is used for coffin manufacturing and building temples in the tree's native range.
These trees produce female cones at branch tips that mature from late fall to winter.
Cunninghamia trees are used in some areas as Christmas trees due to their beautiful foliage.

Videos

All about these wonderful, heat tolerant evergreen trees.
How to identify the Blue China Fir.

Resources

How to Grow Cunninghamia lanceolata
Cunninghamnia lanceolata - Growing Guide
China Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata)
Cunninghamia lanceolata 
Wikipedia: Cunninghamia
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 272, Cunninghamia lanceolata (China Fir)
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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