Cephalotaxus hainanensis is a species of conifer known by the common name Hainan plum-yew. It is native to southern China (Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan), southeastern Tibet, and Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in northern Indochina.
When mature it is a tree tall. It has sickle-shaped or straight leaves, long and wide, with a truncate, circular truncate or nearly cordate base and an acute or slightly acute apex with edges rolling downwards when dry. Male cones are approximately long, and seeds are long and obovate-elliptic or obovoid.
This species grows in warmer temperate and subtropical montane rainforests. It inhabits mixed forests and forested ravines from elevation. It is sometimes a dominant species in the local ecosystem.
The species was first described by Hui-lin Li in 1954. It was formerly considered endemic to the island of Hainan, and some considered it a synonym of Cephalotaxus mannii.[1] A 2013 revision of the genus Cephalotaxus affirmed its status as a distinct species, and identified C. harringtonia var. thailandensis as a synonym.[2]
The IUCN Red List assessed the species as Endangered, based on distribution only in Hainan. The species is now considered to have a wider distribution in mainland China and northern Indochina.[2]
C. hainanensis is suggested to have antileukemia activity, and is widely used as an herbal remedy in China.[3] Exploitation of the bark and leaves is a potential threat to this species. Logging has historically been a cause of its decline, but as logging is no longer allowed on Hainan, much of the pressure is currently from illegal harvesting for Chinese remedies.