Occidental tree of life

Occidental tree of life
	Occidental tree of life ( Thuja occidentalis )
Systematics
Class :	Coniferopsida
Order :	Conifers (Coniferales)
Family :	Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Subfamily :	Cupressoideae
Genre :	Arborvitae ( Thuja )
Type :	Occidental tree of life
Scientific name
	Thuja occidentalis
	L.

The Abendländische arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ), also Abendländische Thuja or Ordinary Thuja called, is a plant from the genus of the thuja ( Thuja ) in the family of cypress plants (Cupressaceae).

description

Vegetative characteristics

bark

Branches with cones

The occidental tree of life is an evergreen tree . It reaches heights of growth of around 20 meters (in individual cases up to a maximum of 38 meters) with a trunk diameter of 0.9 meters (maximum 1.8 meters). It grows very slowly; the annual height increase is a maximum of about 20 centimeters. Specimens over 10 meters often stand a little crooked and are then often knocked over by the storm. The occidental tree of life can live up to 180 years.

The bark is orange-brown and longitudinally fissured. Most thin and easy beastete canopy grows conical with a narrow, rounded tip and upward branches. The often hanging branches end in upturned branch tips. The scaly leaves have a uniformly light green to yellowish underside.

Generative characteristics

The occidental tree of life is single sexed ( monoecious ), so there are male and female cones on one plant specimen. The male cones are reddish and 1 to 2 millimeters in size. The female cones are light brown and often form so abundantly that the entire tree canopy looks light brown. They usually have two pairs of fertile seed scales. The upright, 6 to 14 millimeter large cones soon gape to the base of the scales and contain about eight seeds. The reddish seed is 4 to 7 millimeters in size, including the wings.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.

ingredients

The wood, the cones and the branch tips contain essential oils from monoterpenes , with thujone making up the largest part. Consumption is therefore toxic. Just touching the branch tips can cause redness and itching on the affected areas. In addition to irritation of the mucous membranes, the consumption of poisonous plant components can lead to gastrointestinal complaints with nausea, nausea, flatulence and diarrhea. Damage to the kidneys and liver and seizures have been observed in rare cases. Consumption can be fatal for animals.

Natural range in 1938

Occurrence and use

The occidental tree of life is native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States with a main distribution area around the Great Lakes . There it is one of the most important forest tree species.

In Europe it is widely planted everywhere, mainly as a cypress-like tree in cemeteries and as a year-round opaque hedge in garden enclosures. The numerous, often dwarf cultivated forms are planted in large numbers.

The Occidental Tree of Life grows best on wet soils, but also tolerates dry locations, especially if they are shady.

Cultivated forms

'Fastigiata': Created in 1865. Narrowly conical, but less columnar than 'Spiralis'. This cultivated form grows up to 15 meters high and has slender and upright branches.
'Lutea', also known as 'George Peabody' ("Yellow Tree of Life"): This cultivated form usually grows more beautifully than the type, but is still rare. It is up to 17 meters high and forms a dense crown on a strong trunk; the young foliage is golden yellow.
'Rheingold': This form is mostly multi-stemmed and only about 4 meters high with a rounded, conical crown. The foliage is very light yellow, almost orange in spring and a little brownish in winter.
'Rosenthalii' ("columnar tree"): A columnar tree up to 5.5 meters high.
'Spiralis': Created in 1923. Very narrow and pointed columnar shape with deep green foliage that turns a little brownish in winter. It reaches a height of about 15 meters; the branches are short, twisted in a spiral and curved upwards.
'Brabant': Cone-shaped, medium-high tree, densely branched. Height 20 to 25 meters, width 3 to 4 meters. Green all year round, does not discolour in winter.
'Columna': Narrow, columnar large shrub to small tree and slow-growing. Height 5 to 8 meters, width 1 to 1.5 meters. Consistent columnar shape, does not expand with age.
'Holmstrup': Column-shaped when young and narrow cone-shaped when old, slow-growing and densely branched. Height 3 to 4 meters, width 0.8 to 1.5 meters. Frost hardy and particularly wind resistant.
'Smaragd': cone-shaped large shrub, dense and compact, slow-growing. Height 3 to 5 meters, width 1 to 2 meters. Fresh green, does not discolour in winter. Frost hardy, robust and wind-resistant variety. Best hedge plant.
'Sunkist': Very narrowly conical and slow-growing when young, broadly conical and strongly growing when old. Height 3 to 4 meters, width 0.8 to 1.5 meters. Golden yellow in youth, lemon yellow to light green in old age, bronze colored in winter.
'Tiny Tim': spherical dwarf shrub. Height 0.5 to 1 meter, width 0.8 to 1.5 meters. Fresh green, bronze in winter.