Larix mastersiana
Larix mastersiana is a coniferous tree from the species of larch. The species was not described until 1914. Its distribution area is located in western Sichuan in China, where it grows at altitudes above 2000 meters. It is due to the heavy use of wood considered to be at risk.
- 5.1 Literature
- 5.2 Notes and references
Description
Larix mastersiana is 20 to 25 meters high trees with diameter at breast height of up to 0.8 meters. The trunk is straight or curved, furrowed Stammborke irregular or divided into gray plates. The branches are long, the upper ascending, the lower are horizontal or drooping. The side branches are slender and hanging out, but not as much as in Larix potaninii. The crown is broad and rounded otherwise rather conical in free-standing trees. The branches are long, thin, continuous and yellowish or reddish brown, later gray. You are bald, just very young twigs can be somewhat hairy. The short shoots are 3 to 15 millimeters long, cylindrical and show rings made of rolled- shed. The leaf buds are resinous, conical or ovoid, 2 mm long and have a diameter of 1.5 millimeters. The bud scales are triangular, light brown and shiny.
Needles
The needles are spirally on the short shoots, dense in Scheinwirteln from 20 to 40 you are 2 to 3 inches long, rarely up to 1.2 or 3.5 inches and approximately 1 millimeter wide, narrowly linear, slightly wider toward the tip or blunt needle end. In cross-section they are more or less rhomboidal, and particularly at the needle base is notched on both sides. The needle top does not show or arranged in only a few, weak stripe stomata on the underside they are grouped into two narrow bands. The needles are bright green and turn yellow in autumn.
Cones and seeds
The yellow, stalked, 10 to 15 millimeters long pollen cones stand or hang on the ends of short shoots. The seed cones are in 5 millimeters long stems more or less upright at the ends of short shoots hanging branches. They are ovate - cylindrical, straight or curved and are 2.5 to 4.5 inches long, and have shed with open diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters. Immature cones are greenish, enveloping with orange-yellow, the bracts seed scales, mature cones are light brown with dark brown bracts. Old cones are dark brown with blackish bracts. The about 30 to 40 seeds per shed cones are obcordate to round, convex curved, and in the middle of the pin 6 to 10 mm long and 7-12 mm wide. They have a smooth or slightly ridged surface that is initially hairy and glabrous later. The upper part of the seed scales is entire, petiolate base or wedge-shaped. The 2 to 2.3 cm long bracts are broad and lanceolate, the outer part is triangular and bent back, with frayed edges and sharply pointed. The seeds are oval to wedge-shaped, 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, yellowish brown to light brown. They have a obovate, 6-8 mm long and 4-5 mm wide light yellowish brown wings. Pollination is from April to May, the cones mature in October.
Distribution and ecology
Larix mastersiana occurs naturally in China in western Sichuan in the catchment area of Min and the territory of the Motian Ling and Jiajin Shan mountains. It grows at altitudes 2000-3500 meters on well-drained, steep slopes on soils with podsolischen kaltgemäßigtem and humid climate.
In the IUCN Red List Larix mastersiana is specified as endangered ( " Vulnerable "). The cause of the threat to the overuse led by deforestation.
Systematics and history of research
Larix mastersiana is a species in the genus of larches ( Larix). The first description by Rehder and Wilson took place in 1914 in the American Journal Plantae Wilsonianae. The specific epithet honors the mastersiana for botanists appointed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew honorary doctor Maxwell T. Masters, who has contributed much to the study of conifers.
Use
The wood is used as timber, mining timber, railway sleepers and for the production of furniture. The bark contains tannins. The natural stocks, especially on easier reach, were heavily exploited. In China Larix mastersiana is used for afforestation, outside of China, the species is not cultivated, but they are rarely found in arboretums.