Giant tree of life
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Giant arborvitae ( Thuja plicata ), trunk and scale-shaped leaves |
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| Thuja plicata | ||||||||||||
| Donn ex D.Don in Lambert |
Of Thuja plicata ( Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don , Syn. : Thuja gigantea Nutt. ), Also giant Thuja called, is a plant from the genus of the thuja ( Thuja ) in the family of cypress plants (Cupressaceae). In the English-speaking world it is called Western Red Cedar .
description
Vegetative characteristics
The giant tree of life is an evergreen tree , which in its native North America reaches heights of growth of up to 50 to 70 meters, trunk diameters of up to 6 meters and trunk volumes of up to 500 cubic meters. In the British Isles it reaches heights of 40 meters. The treetop is narrowly conical with an upright central stem; in old trees the crown widens. The broadly furrowed bark is initially dark red-brown, graying with age and peeling off in plates. The trunk is very woody and has a broadly tapering base.
The flaky leaves are pressed against the branches. They smell aromatic even without rubbing; the scent is fruity and reminiscent of pineapples or apples. The scaly leaves are shiny, fresh green at the top and lighter at the bottom.
Generative characteristics
The giant tree of life is single sexed ( monoecious ), so male and female cones are on one plant. The male cones are very small and end at branch tips; they are pale yellow and dust in March. The female cones form on stronger branches and are egg-shaped with a size of about 1 centimeter. They are yellow in summer and turn brown in late autumn. Each cone can contain 8 to 14 seeds. The reddish-brown seed is 4 to 7.5 millimeters in size, including the wings.
The giant tree of life is shade-tolerant and location-tolerant. But it prefers cool, humid areas with deep, slightly acidic soils. There it is fast-growing and can form annual shoots up to 90 cm in length for the first 30 years. It has a shallow, extensive root system and is therefore at risk of wind throws. Ground fires represent another danger.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
distribution
The distribution area of the Giant-life tree ranges in the western North America of Alaska (57 ° n. Br.) Up to Northern California (39 ° n. Br.), Where he singly or mixed in groups of Douglas fir , Sitka spruce , giant fir and Occurrences of western hemlock . To the east, its area extends to Idaho and Montana , where it forms mixed forests with western Weymouth pine , western hemlock , giant fir and western larch .
The giant arborvitae is hardy in Central Europe . However, it suffers from summer drought, which can lead to the death of the shoot tips. It is grown as a decorative specimen tree with branches down to the ground in parks and larger gardens and is used as a hedge plant. There are also successful forestry experimental crops.
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use
The giant arborvitae is an important forest species in north-western North America. It has a light, durable wood with a white sapwood and a red-brown core . It has a straight grain and clear, dense annual rings . The valuable wood is traded under the name Red Cedar . It is not very stable, but it is extremely durable. As tonewood for ceilings, it is used to build guitars . Excellent shingles can be obtained from the wood . Because of its long service life and low weight, it is also used in the construction of boats, greenhouses and sheds . The wood dust can cause allergies . The acidity of the wood rusts iron nails and creates black spots. For this reason, copper or galvanized nails are used during processing.
The First Nations of the Pacific northwest coast, i.e. in western British Columbia and southern Alaska , had many uses for the giant tree of life. One focus of the use was on Vancouver Island , here the products made from this plant formed a livelihood. Canoes , houses and totem poles were made from the wood ; the bark was woven into ropes and nets, baskets and clothing.
Everyday objects such as shoe trees and moth protection woods , which are offered as products made of "cedar wood", are almost always made of the wood of the Virginia juniper ( Juniperus virginiana ), the trade name of which is Eastern Red Cedar, which is confusing. The woods used in construction as "cedar wood", however, mostly come from Western Red Cedar , i.e. from the giant tree of life ( Thuja plicata ). The genus of the arborvitae ( Thuja ) belongs to the cypress family , like the genus juniper ( Juniperus ) , while species of the genus Cedar ( Cedrus ) belongs to the pine family .
Cultivated forms
- Thuja plicata, form 'Semperaurescens': This form, created in 1923, grows narrowly conical and has yellow to moss-green leaves, more orange-yellow when fresh. It is rare in culture and can reach heights of around 20 meters.
- Thuja plicata, form 'Zebrina': This form was created in 1868 and has a broad, conical habit. The leaves are banded with gold. Sometimes found in parks and larger gardens.
swell
literature
- Peter Schütt, Hans J. Schuck, Bernd Stimm: Lexicon of tree and shrub species . Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-53-8 , pp. 520 f .
- Christopher J. Earle: Thuja plicata. In: The Gymnosperm Database. January 20, 2011, accessed October 27, 2011 .
Web links
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- Thuja plicata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christopher J. Earle: Thuja plicata. In: The Gymnosperm Database. January 20, 2011, accessed October 27, 2011 .
- ^ Robert van Pelt: Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast. University of Washington Press 2001 ISBN 0-9684143-1-1
- ^ Tropicos
- ↑ Andrew Duncan, Gwen Rigby: The hobby carpenter - technology of wood processing , German edition in cooperation with the master school Ebern for the carpenter's trade. Orbis, Munich 1984 ISBN 3-572-00763-1 p. 197
- ↑ see Alfred Hendricks, ed .: Indians of the Northwest Coast. Change and Tradition. (First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. Change and Tradition.) Westfälisches Museum für Naturkunde , Münster 2005 ISBN 3-924590-85-0 (book accompanying a series of exhibitions). Numerous pictures, also historical, e.g. BS 66: Woman with bundles of bark from 1915; P. 72: Working with cedar bark, 2004; P. 75: Women weave baskets from cedar bark from 1904 and so on. Furthermore, the production of a dugout canoe, canoe, is shown and explained. Impressive picture on p. 129: people on the stump of felled cedar. Sedro Woolley, USA 1890, a protest against the timber industry, which is destroying livelihoods. About 30 people stand alone on the cut surface.