Japanese red pine

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Japanese red pine
Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) in the north of the island of Honshu

Japanese red pine ( Pinus densiflora ) in the north of the island of Honshu

Systematics
Subdivision : Seed plants (Spermatophytina)
Class : Coniferopsida
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Pine family (Pinaceae)
Genre : Pine ( Pinus )
Type : Japanese red pine
Scientific name
Pinus densiflora
Siebold & Zucc.

The Japanese red pine ( Pinus densiflora ) is a species of the pine family (Pinaceae).

description

Illustration of a twig made of needles and cones of various ages in Flora Japonica from 1870

The Japanese red pine grows as an evergreen tree and reaches stature heights of an average of 15, maximum up to 35 meters. The bark of the young trees is reddish brown (hence the name), with age it becomes increasingly grayish. The needles are light green, two in pairs in a needle sheath and are 8 to 12 centimeters long. The needles stay on the tree for a total of three years.

The male cones are brown and stand in whorls 9 to 10 centimeters long. The pale brown female cones are rounded and tapering to a point; they reach 4 to 7 centimeters in length and take two years to mature.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

Occurrence

It is the dominant conifer on the Japanese islands , but is also found on the Far Eastern mainland ( Korea , China , southeastern Russia ). This species grows in dry, slightly acidic soils in sunny locations.

Systematics and varieties

The first description comes from Philipp Franz von Siebold and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini ; it was published in 1842 in their joint work Flora japonica , Volume 2 (3), page 22.

There are three varieties:

  • Pinus densiflora var. Densiflora
  • Pinus densiflora var. Ussuriensis Liou & QLWang 1958
  • Pinus densiflora var. Zhangwuensis S.J. Zhang, CXLi & XYYuan 1995
"Multiform jaw", the cultivated form 'Umbraculifera'

Several cultivated forms are known:

  • 'Globosa': This dwarf form has short dark green needles and is slow-growing.
  • 'Low Glow', 'Little Christopher' (also called 'Rezek's Witch's Broom Seedling'), and 'Tiny Temple' (also called 'Temple'): These are all miniature shapes with dark green needles.
  • 'Oculis Draconis' (also known under the German name Drachenaugenkiefer ): The needles of this shape have alternating green and yellow bands. It grows as a large shrub or as a small tree.
  • 'Pendula': This cultivated form must be trained to become a tree by tying it up, otherwise it will grow crawling on the ground. The needles are dark green.
  • 'Umbraculifera' (also known under the name 'Tagyōshō' ( Japanese 多 形 松 , dt. " Many-Shaped Pine"): This common form grows as a mostly multi-stemmed tree or as a large shrub with a widespread crown; it is about 7 meters in height and width. The bark is more or less orange in color. This cultivar is prone to snow breakage. There are also dwarf forms 'Umbraculifera Compacta' and 'Jane Kluis' that reach a maximum height of 2 meters.

use

Japanese red pine in a park

The red pine traditionally has cultural significance in Japan, where it is known as Akamatsu ( 赤松 , dt. “Red pine”) or Mematsu ( 雌 松 , dt. “Female pine”), in contrast to the Japanese black pine , which is also common in Japan Omatsu ( 雄 松 , dt. "Male pine"), is called and is used for forestry and as an ornamental tree. It can be found regularly in Japanese gardens . Use is problematic in Central Europe . Cultivation in parks and gardens is of little interest because of its high susceptibility to snow breakage and leaf parasites. In forestry, there are additional problems due to the poor vigor and trunk shape that occur under Central European conditions.

The oil-rich seeds of the Japanese red pine are edible and have a slightly resinous taste. The mushroom matsutake , which lives in symbiosis with the red pine, is considered a delicacy in Japan.

Others

In Japan the red pine is the symbol tree of the prefectures of Iwate , Okayama and Yamaguchi .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tropicos. [1]
  2. Flora japonica. Stuttgart 2, 1842, p. 22, plate 112. See entry in GRIN.
  3. See web link conifers.org.
  4. http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/pindeod (Engl.)
  5. http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/pindepe (Engl.)
  6. http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/pindeum (Engl.)
  7. See web link Plants for a Future.

literature

  • Alan Mitchell: The forest and park trees of Europe. An identification book for dendrologists and nature lovers . Translated and edited by Gerd Krüssmann. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1975. ISBN 3-490-05918-2

Web links

Commons : Japanese Red Pine  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files