Pseudotsuga japonica

The Japanese Douglas Fir ( Pseudotsuga japonica) is a species of the genus of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) in the pine family ( Pinaceae ).

Description

The Japanese Douglas Fir is reached 1.5 meters of an evergreen tree, the plant height of about 12 to 30 meters and trunk diameter ( diameter at breast height DBH ). The trunk is usually limbless to about two-thirds of its height. The bark is dark brown and grayish to very old trees. The hairless bark of the branches is initially pale yellowish - brown, and in the second year, it is grayish. The scales of the buds are shiny brown. The needle-like leaves are glossy green, often curved, obtuse and emarginate, 15 to 25 mm long and 1.5 mm wide.

The Japanese Douglas fir is monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ). It flowers in April. The male cones are axillary on branches of the previous year; they are cylindrical, brownish yellow and contain many stamens. The terminally on short shoots seated female cones are of a length of 4 to 5 cm and a diameter of 2 to 2.5 cm, the smallest in the genus. They are initially brown with bluish spots, later they are chocolate - brown and have 15 to 20 thick, woody seed scales. The three-lobed bracts are about 20 mm long and 4-5 mm wide is available through the seed scales beyond. The ripe in October, winged seeds are shiny dark brown, 6-9 mm long and 5 mm wide. The broad wings is dark brown, 10 to 13 mm long and 6 mm wide.

Dissemination

The home of the Japanese Douglas Fir located in the southeast of Japan on the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. It grows at altitudes between 500 and 1100 meters. In Central Europe this is seldom planted.

Pictures

Spigot

Needles

Swell

• Christopher J. Earle: Pseudotsuga japonica. In: The Gymnosperm Database. December 21, 2010, accessed on 4 November 2011 ( English).