Thuja standishii

Japanese arborvitae (Thuja standishii )

The Japanese arborvitae (Thuja standishii, Japanese黒 桧, Kurobe, dt " black Hinoki / Cypress " or鼠 子, Nezuko ) is a plant belonging to the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ) is native to Central and Japan.

The Japanese Tree of Life is one of the "Five trees of Kiso ", which were made ​​in 1708 and the tree of life 1727 in Owari fief under protection.

Description

The Japanese tree of life is a shrub or tree which grows to a height of up to 18 meters. It has a narrow, tapered and dense crown. The individual branches are curved like a sickle and have irregular branchings. The scale leaves are yellowish - green and dull on the bottom, they have gray - green stomatal patches. The edges of leaves are dull, which distinguishes them from the pointed of the Giant Tree of Life (Thuja plicata).

The Japanese living tree is monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig, male and female cones are therefore located at a plant. In March, the trees bloom. The male cones are first dark and later yellow and are very small - only about 0.1 inches wide. The cluster of ten to twelve seed scales female cones are egg-shaped and about 1.2 inches tall, while their maturity, they change color from bright green to dark brown. The seed is 5-6 mm long with 6-7 × 2 to 2.5 mm wide with wings.

Dissemination

The Japanese tree of life originates from the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, where he primarily in the cool mountain regions, together with other cold- adapted trees such as the Nikko Fir ( Abies homolepis ), Japanese yew ( Taxus cuspidata ), the Northern Japanese Hemlock ( Tsuga diversifolia ) and the girls pine ( Pinus parviflora ) occurs. Today it is cultivated worldwide mainly in temperate latitudes as a park and garden tree.

It is classified by the IUCN as not at risk.