SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cunninghamia lanceolata
COMMON NAME: common chinafir, monkey tree
LEAVES: Petioles twists around the twigs (leaves come out in a couple of planes) and leaves are widest at the base. There are 2 white lines underneath (stomates). Small serrations on the margins. Leaves will stick you.
BARK: Fibrous bark that will peel when older.
OTHER: Oriental looking tree that is usually multi-trunked (can train to be single trunked). Dead small branches are normal die-back. Grows 50' to 80' tall. Can limb up or leave limbs to the ground. A member of the Taxodiaceae family. Some people are using this as a replacement for Leyland cypress. Below zero (F) temperatures can damage this species.