''Bretschneidera sinensis'', the sole species in genus ''Bretschneidera'', is a rare, tall a monotypic species of tree with large inflorescences. It is found in south and east of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, northern

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and northern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. Because of its relatively recent discovery in Taiwan and Thailand, it is possible that it could also be found in Laos and northern Myanmar. It was named in honor of

Emil Bretschneider Emil Bretschneider ( in Bankaushof (now Benkavas muiža, Saldus novads, Latvia) – in Saint Petersburg) was a sinologist of Baltic German ethnicity and a correspondent member of the Académie française. He operated in the Russian Empire. H ...

. In Thailand it is known as ''Chompoo Phu Kha'' () and is found only in

Doi Phu Kha National Park Doi Phu Kha National Park () covers parts of 8 districts in the Luang Prabang Range, Nan Province, Northern Thailand and has rich natural resources. It is Northern Thailand's largest National park and rivers such as Nan River and Pua River, have ...

on the

Luang Prabang Range The Luang Prabang Range (, ), named after Luang Prabang, is a mountain range straddling northwestern Laos and Northern Thailand. Most of the range is located in Sainyabuli Province (Laos), as well as Nan and Uttaradit Provinces (Thailand), w ...

where it flowers in February and March.“Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan”
/ref> The taxonomic position of genus ''Bretschneidera'' is enigmatic, and it has also been placed in its own family, Bretschneideraceae.

Reproduction

B. sinensis has an outcrossing

entomophily Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, some ...

breeding system with protogyny and a high P/O ratio, and is pollinated by a variety of insects, with the main pollinators belonging to

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

. low fruit production,

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, low numbers of flowering individuals, and low pollen transfer efficacy are leading to the continued endangerment of the species.

References

Monotypic Brassicales genera Akaniaceae Endangered plants Trees of China Trees of Taiwan Trees of Thailand Flora of Vietnam Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by William Hemsley (botanist) {{Brassicales-stub