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{{SPlantbox
{{SPlantbox
|familia=Cupressaceae
|familia=Cupressaceae
|genus=Taiwania
|genus=Taiwania
|species=cryptomerioides
|species=cryptomerioides
|Min ht box=180
|habit=tree
|Min ht metric=ft
|Max ht box=180
|Min wd box=35
|Max ht metric=ft
|Min wd metric=ft
|Max wd box=35
|Max wd metric=ft
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun
|exposure=sun
|features=foliage
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=8
|min_zone=8
|max_zone=11
|max_zone=11
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Upload.png
|image=Taiwania cryptomerioides
|image_width=240
|image_width=240
}}
}}
'''Taiwania''' (''Taiwania cryptomerioides'') is a large [[Pinophyta|coniferous]] [[tree]] in the cypress family [[Cupressaceae]], formerly listed in the [[segregate (taxonomy)|segregate]] family Taxodiaceae. It is native to eastern [[Asia]], growing in the [[mountain]]s of central [[Taiwan]], and locally in southwest [[China]] and adjoining [[Myanmar]] and northern [[Vietnam]]. It is [[endangered species|endangered]] by [[illegal logging]] for its valuable [[wood]] in many areas. It is very likely that the range was more extensive in the past before extensive felling for the wood.
It is one of the largest tree species in Asia, reported to heights of 80 m tall and with a trunk up to 4 m diameter above buttressed base<ref name=farjon>Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-068-4</ref>. The [[leaf|leaves]] are needle-like or awl-like and 8-15 mm long on young trees up to about 100 years old, then gradually becoming more scale-like, 3-7 mm long, on mature trees. The [[conifer cone|cones]] are small, 15-25 mm long, with about 15-30 thin, fragile scales, each scale with two [[seed]]s.
The populations in mainland Asia are treated as a distinct species ''Taiwania flousiana'' by some botanists, but the claimed differences between these and the Taiwanese population are not consistent when a number of specimens from each area are compared.
The genus is named after the island of Taiwan, from where it first became known to the botanical community in 1910.
The wood is soft, but durable and attractively spicy scented, and was in very high demand in the past, particularly for [[temple]] building and [[coffin]]s. The rarity of the tree and its slow growth in [[plantation]]s means legal supplies are now very scarce; the species has legal protection in China.
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
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