Cryptomeria

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Cryptomeria (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica (syn. Cupressus japonica L.f.). It is considered to be endemic to Japan, where it is known as Template:Nihongo.<ref>This kanji for used for sugi is the same as used for the hanzi for shan, which is used for other species, for instance, shui shan, water fir, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.</ref> The tree is called Japanese cedar<ref>Template:PLANTS</ref> or Japanese redwood<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=BSBI07>Template:BSBI 2007</ref> in English. It has been extensively introduced and cultivated for wood production on the Azores.

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Cone and seed

DescriptionEdit

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Cryptomeria japonica: (left) shoot with mature cones and immature male cones at top; (centre) adult foliage shoot; (right) juvenile foliage shoot

Cryptomeria is a very large evergreen tree, reaching up to Template:Cvt tall and Template:Cvt trunk diameter, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. The leaves are arranged spirally, needle-like, Template:Cvt long; and the seed cones globular, Template:Cvt diameter with about 20–40 scales. It is superficially similar to the related giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), from which it can be differentiated by the longer leaves (under Template:Cvt in the giant sequoia) and smaller cones (Template:Cvt in the giant sequoia), and the harder bark on the trunk (thick, soft and spongy in giant sequoia).Template:Citation needed Prior to 1916 sylvics expert Ernest H. Wilson measured a C. japonica at the village called "Sugi", Toso Perfecture, Shikoku Island, Japan which measured twenty-six feet thick (25 meters girth at breast height) and 164 feet (fifty meters) in height.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

EndemismEdit

Sugi has been cultivated in China for so long that it is frequently thought to be native there. Forms selected for ornament and timber production long ago in China have been described as a distinct variety Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis (or even a distinct species, Cryptomeria fortunei), but they do not differ from the full range of variation found in the wild in Japan, and there is no definite evidence the species ever occurred wild in China. Genetic analysis of the most famous Chinese population, on Tianmu Mountain, containing trees estimated to be nearly 1000 years old, supports the hypothesis that the population originates from an introduction.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Outside of its native range, Cryptomeria was also introduced to the Azores in the mid 19th century for wood production. It is currently the most cultivated species in the archipelago, occupying over 12,698 hectares, 60% of the production forest and about 1/5 of the region's total land area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

BiologyEdit

Cryptomeria grows in forests on deep, well-drained soils subject to warm, moist conditions, and it is fast-growing under these conditions. It is intolerant of poor soils and cold, drier climates.<ref name=eflora>Template:EFloras</ref>

It is used as a food plant by the larvae of some moths of the genus Endoclita including E. auratus, E. punctimargo and E. undulifer. Sugi (and hinoki) pollen is a major cause of hay fever in Japan.Template:Citation needed

Fossil recordEdit

The earliest fossil record of Cryptomeria are descriptions based on vegetative organs of †Cryptomeria kamtschatica of the Late Eocene from Kamchatka, Russia and †Cryptomeria protojaponica and †Cryptomeria sichotensis from the Oligocene of Primorye, Russia. Several fossil leafy shoots of †Cryptomeria yunnanensis have been described from Rupelian stage strata of the Lühe Basin in Yunnan, China.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

From the Neogene, Cryptomeria is well represented as seed cones, leafy shoots and wood in the fossil records of Europe and Japan. †Cryptomeria rhenana was described from the early Late Miocene to the Late Miocene of Rhein in Morsbach, Germany, from the Early and Middle Pliocene of Northern Italy, to the Middle Pliocene of Dunarobba, Italy and to the Early Pleistocene of Umbria, Italy. †Cryptomeria anglica was described from the Late Miocene of La Cerdana, Spain, to the Late Middle Miocene of Brjánslækur, Iceland and from the Late Miocene to the early Pliocene Brassington Formation of Derbyshire, England. †Cryptomeria miyataensis was described from the Late Miocene of Akita, Japan. Cryptomeria japonica was described from the Late Miocene of Georgia and from the Pliocene of Duab, Abkhazia. It has also been described from the Pliocene of Honshu, Japan, Late Pliocene of Osaka, Japan and from the Pleistocene of Kyushu, Japan.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

CultivationEdit

TimberEdit

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Cryptomeria japonica timber is extremely fragrant, weather and insect resistant, soft, and with a low density. The timber is used for the making of staves, tubs, casks, furniture and other indoor applications. Easy to saw and season, it is favoured for light construction, boxes, veneers and plywood. Wood that has been buried turns dark green and is much valued. Resin from the tree contains cryptopimaric and phenolic acid.<ref name=ICRAF>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The wood is pleasantly scented, reddish-pink in colour, lightweight but strong, waterproof and resistant to decay. It is favoured in Japan for all types of construction work as well as interior panelling, etc. In Darjeeling district and Sikkim in India, where it is one of the most widely growing trees, C. japonica is called Dhuppi and is favoured for its light wood, extensively used in house building.Template:Citation needed

In Japan, the coppicing method of daisugi (台杉) is sometimes used to harvest logs.<ref name="Forestry1926">Template:Cite book</ref>

Mechanical propertiesEdit

In dry air conditions, the initial density of Japanese cedar timber has been determined to be about 300–420 kg/m³.<ref name="Anshari"/> It displays a Young's modulus of 8017 MPa, 753 MPa and 275 MPa in the longitudinal, radial and tangential direction in relation to the wood fibers.<ref name="Anshari">Template:Cite journal</ref>

OrnamentalEdit

Cryptomeria japonica is extensively used in forestry plantations in Japan, China and the Azores islands, and is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree in other temperate areas, including Britain, Europe, North America and eastern Himalaya regions of Nepal and India.Template:Citation needed

The cultivar 'Elegans' is notable for retaining juvenile foliage throughout its life, instead of developing normal adult foliage when one year old (see the picture with different shoots). It makes a small, shrubby tree Template:Cvt tall. There are numerous dwarf cultivars that are widely used in rock gardens and for bonsai, including 'Tansu', 'Koshyi', 'Little Diamond', 'Yokohama' and 'Kilmacurragh.'Template:Citation needed

The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017):<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

C. japonica 'Bandai-sugi'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Elegans Compacta'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Elegans Viridis'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Globosa Nana'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Golden Promise'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Sekkan-sugi'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Cryptomeria japonica 'Spiralis' <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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C. japonica 'Vilmoriniana'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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SymbolismEdit

Sugi is commonly planted around temples and shrines, with many hugely impressive trees planted centuries ago.<ref>Template:Cite book (with Plates XLVIII and XLIX).</ref> Sargent (1894; The Forest Flora of Japan) recorded the instance of a daimyō (feudal lord) who was too poor to donate a stone lantern at the funeral of the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) at Nikkō Tōshō-gū, but requested instead to be allowed to plant an avenue of sugi, so that "future visitors might be protected from the heat of the sun". The offer was accepted; the Cedar Avenue of Nikkō, which still exists, is over Template:Cvt long, and "has not its equal in stately grandeur".<ref name=Sargent1893>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Template:Nihongo is a large cryptomeria tree located on Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Japan. It is the oldest and largest among the old-growth cryptomeria trees on the island, and is estimated to be between 2,170<ref name="UPI">Template:Cite news</ref> and 7,200 years old.<ref name=HydrogenIsland>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Yamaguchi1995>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Cryptomeria are often described and referred to in Japanese literature. For instance, cryptomeria forests and their workers, located on the mountains north of Kyoto, are featured in Yasunari Kawabata's famous book The Old Capital.Template:Citation needed

GalleryEdit

Cryptomeria-Saint-Gilles.jpg

A forestry plantation
Kayano Ōsugi 20070814.jpg

Great sugi of Kayano
Tree lined path to the Togakushi shrine1.jpg

Sugi avenue at the Togakushi shrine in Nagano
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Cross section
Wilsons Stump Yaku cedar 001.jpg

Wilson's Stump was a sugi tree on Yaku Island estimated to be over 2,000 years old when cut
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Grown as a bonsai