Libocedrus chevalieri
Libocedrus chevalieri is an evergreen coniferous tree of the genus shed cedar ( Libocedrus ). It makes shrubs or small trees with dense and bushy crowns. The distribution area is located in New Caledonia, where it grows close to three peaks in scrub forest with high annual rainfall. She is threatened with extinction and has no economic significance.
- 6.1 Literature
- 6.2 Notes and references
Description
Habit
Libocedrus chevalieri is spreading shrubs or small, 2 to 5 feet tall trees with trunk diameter of about 10 centimeters. The bark is rough and scaly, brown and peels off in thin, irregular strips and plates. The branches are numerous, ascending, forming a dense, bushy, frequent rounded crown. The leafy branches grow in the form of fronds, which form dense clumps. The outermost branches are almost opposite to alternate constantly, completely covered with leaves, consistently, from 20 to 50 millimeters long, about the same length, however, be shortened to the end of the main branch. The cross-section is rhombic, slightly flattened and 3 to 4 millimeters wide.
The leaves grow decussate and are broadly decurrent on the main branches. They are overlapping and slightly two -faceted equal to diverse. Surface and edge leaves are almost the same size, 2.5 to 5 mm long and 2 to 2.5 millimeters wide. The area leaves are triangular- rhombic, pressed, keeled at the tip, apiculate and partially covers at the base of the flattened on both sides, more or less recurved, pointed to pointed edges leaves. The leaves form on both sides of stomata in leaves surface near the base, at the edges of leaves, they are more pronounced and equal on both sides frequently. The leaves are light green, older Skim show a reddish-brown tint.
Cones and seeds
The pollen cones are individually at branch ends. They are cylindrical, 8 to 10 mm long with diameters of 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters. The 16 to 24 Mikrosporophylle grow decussate. You are shield-shaped, apiculate, slightly keeled, entire, and have four or sometimes six small yellow abaxial pollen sacs. The seed cones are at the ends of branches and develop within a period of growth to a length of sometimes only 10 mostly 12 to 16 millimeters. The bracts are slightly wrinkled, the top two are 10 to 14 mm long and 5-7 mm wide, the lower pair is 10 to 12 mm long and 3-4 mm wide. The pegs are made one or two ovate -oblong, slightly flattened, pointed, 5-6 mm long and about 2.5 mm wide, yellowish -brown seed with two opposite, thin-skinned wings. The smaller wing forms a less than 1 millimeter wide strip, the larger is yellowish brown, oval-oblong, 8-10 mm long and 3-4 mm wide.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The natural range of Libocedrus chevalieri located on New Caledonia in the Southern Province at Mt Humboldt and at Mt Kouakouè, and in the Northern Province in Poindimié at Mt Ton Non. It grows at altitudes 650-1620 m on slopes near the top of the highest peaks in steep terrain in 2 to 5 meter high bush. The climate is humid with high annual rainfall.
Endangering
In the IUCN Red List Libocedrus is chevalieri as critically endangered ( " Critically Endangered " ) out. The range of the species is restricted to isolated populations close to three mountain peaks, the two peaks are located in the southern province in protected areas. The last collections from the northern province date from the 1970s, since there are no other finds from this area. The trees show only a slow growth and low regenerative capacity and are due to increased fire frequency but also threatened by climate change. The mining industry is also allowed in the protected areas, which is another potential hazard. The total proven distribution area without the uncertain stocks in the Northern Province, covers an area of only 22 square kilometers.
Systematics and history of research
Libocedrus chevalieri is a species of the genus the scales cedars ( Libocedrus ) in the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ). It was first described in 1949 by John Theodore Buchholz in the Bulletin du Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle. The genus name is derived from the Greek Libocedrus Libo for " tear" or "drop " down, thus pointing to emerging drop of resin, and of cedrus the generic name of the cedars. The specific epithet honors the chevalieri collector L. Chevalier, of New Caledonia was active in the 1940s and 1950s.
Alexander Borisovich Doweld ordered 2001, the three scales cedar species from New Caledonia, Libocedrus yateensis, Libocedrus austrocaledonica and Libocedrus chevalieri, a separate class Stegocedrus to. This classification is usually not recognized, Stegocedrus chevalieri is just a synonym of Art
Use
The species is not used commercially. Some young plants are cultivated in a few botanical gardens in greenhouses for research purposes.