a genus of coniferous evergreen trees of the family Pinaceae. They reach a height of 25–30 m (maximum height, 40 m). The crown is conoid; in old trees it is flattened on top. The needles, which are flat, linear, and glossy, are acuminate or notched. The cones are upright, indehiscent, and somewhat fir-like. The seeds are surrounded by a shiny rough spathe. The wood, which is yellowish brown with a reddish cast, is hard. There are three or four species in China. Two species are cultivated in the USSR on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The species Keteleeria Davidiana grows well, but it does not bear fruit in Sukhumi. In its native habitat, central and southern China, there are forests of Keteleeria in the mountains, 300–1,500 m above sea level. The species K. Fortunei grows sparsely, bearing fruit in gardens in Sochi and in more southern regions. It grows wild in southern and eastern China on mountains up to 600 m above sea level. During the Cretaceous period, trees of this genus were much more widely distributed.