Platycladus

Oriental arborvitae ( Platycladus orientalis), branch with cones.

The Oriental arborvitae ( Platycladus orientalis ) is the only species of the genus Platycladus; he belongs to the subfamily Cupressoideae in the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ). Synonyms are Biota orientalis, Thuja orientalis, Platycladus stricta, chengii Thuja, Thuja orientalis var and argyi. This taxon is the living trees (Thuja ) very close. To Europe it was first introduced in 1690 and described in 1753 by Linnaeus.

Dissemination

The distribution area of the Oriental tree of life ranging from Korea, China to eastern Russia. Since the species is cultivated for a long time in China, is anything specific about the natural distribution within China known. These trees thrive at altitudes 300-3300 m.

Description

The Oriental arborvitae is an evergreen, in his home to about 20 m tall tree that can reach a trunk diameter of over one meter. In Central Europe, the oriental arborvitae reaches a height of only 5 to 10 m. The thin bark is light gray - brown or reddish brown, it comes off in long strips from. The crown is oval - conical in young plants and broadly rounded or irregularly shaped in older trees. The scale-like leaves are 1-3 mm long.

The Oriental arborvitae is monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ). The seed-propagated trees bear at the age of 6 to 8 fruits. Male, yellowish green cones are oval and 2-3 mm long. The only bluish- green later red-brown, female cones are almost spherical only have a diameter of 3 mm, at maturity they are more oval and about 2 inches tall, they have six to eight thick, woody cone scales and are individually to the ends of the branches. Per fertile seed scale are two wingless, gray - brown or purple - brown, oval seeds develop; they are 5-7 mm long and 3-4 mm wide. The pollen ranges from March to April, and the seeds ripen made ​​in October of the same year.

The seedlings have two seed leaves ( cotyledons ).

The oldest known ( cultured ) trees are about 1000 years old.

According to research by Armin Jagel and Thomas Stützel from 2001 ( Jagel, A. & Stützel, T. 2001: Studies on the morphology and morphogenesis of the seed of Platycladus orientalis cones (L.) Franco ( Thuja orientalis L. = ) and Microbiota decussata com. ( Cupressaceae ) - bot Jahrb Syst 123 ( 3):. .. 377-404 ) there is a close relationship with the Siberian dwarf tree of life.

Use

In the home countries and many other countries of the world the kind is often used as an ornamental plant. It is suitable for topiary and hedges all year round opaque, but also make an impressive specimen trees lean out. The wood is used in Buddhist temples.

Pictures

As a fully grown tree.

As a fully grown tree.

Swell

• Information about oriental arborvitae at The Gymnosperm Database. (English )