JOHN GRIMSHAW writes about Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata, a very large coniferous tree in the family Cupressaceae, native to Taiwan, Myanmar, western China and Vietnam. It has distinct juvenile and mature growth forms and foliage, becoming fertile only with maturity. It can achieve 70m in the wild, and produces good, decay-resistant, high-value timber. Exploitation has left populations greatly reduced in the wild and its IUCN Red Data list status is Vulnerable, with the Vietnamese population considered Critically Endangered. Introduced from Taiwan in 1918 by E. H. Wilson, and now widely grown, it is most successful in areas with warm or hot summers, forming a shapely conical tree with pendulous branches in youth. It is hardy to -15°C (at least), USDA Hardiness Zone 7 in Europe and North America.