Rhoiptelea

Rhoiptelea
Rhoiptelea chiliantha
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Juglandaceae
Subfamily:	Rhoipteleoideae Reveal
Genus:	Rhoiptelea Diels & Hand.-Mazz.
Species:	R. chiliantha
Binomial name
Rhoiptelea chiliantha Diels & Hand.-Mazz.
Synonyms
Rhoipteleaceae Handel-Mazzetti

Rhoiptelea is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Juglandaceae, containing the single species Rhoiptelea chiliantha, commonly known as the horsetail tree. It is native to southwestern China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan) and the far north of Vietnam, and grows at altitudes of 700-2,500 metres in mountainous areas.

Taxonomy

This genus was previously treated in its own family Rhoipteleaceae, but the 2009 APG III system transferred it to the family Juglandaceae.

Description

Rhoiptelea chiliantha is a tree growing to 20 metres tall, with a trunk up to 60 cm diameter. The leaves are pinnately compound, 15-40 cm long, with (7–) 9–11 (–13) leaflets with a papery texture. The flowers are wind-pollinated, arranged in large pendulous panicles usually 15-30 cm long (rarely to 38 cm long); the fruit is a small 2–3 mm nut with rounded wings. It is a protected species of China.