Sandarac tree

Sandarac tree
	Sandarac tree ( Tetraclinis articulata ) in Spain near Cartagena
Systematics
Class :	Coniferopsida
Order :	Conifers (Coniferales)
Family :	Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Subfamily :	Cupressoideae
Genre :	Tetraclinis
Type :	Sandarac tree
Scientific name of the genus
	Tetraclinis
	Mast.
Scientific name of the species
	Tetraclinis articulata
	( Vahl ) mast.

The tetraclinis ( Tetraclinis articulata ), also Gliederzypresse or Berberthuja called, is the only species of the genus Tetraclinis , it belongs to the subfamily Cupressoideae in the family of the cypress family (Cupressaceae).

description

Illustration from Koehler's medicinal plants

Cones

Cones and seeds

Vegetative characteristics

In Tetraclinis articulata it (often up to 18) is a shrub or tree-like, slow-growing woody plant, the plant height 6-8 meters and a trunk diameter of 40 centimeters achieved. The scaly leaves are 1 to 5 mm long.

Generative characteristics

The articulated cypress is single sexed ( monoecious ). The male flowers are at the end of the branch, the female are at the side. The cones are 10 to 15 mm long. They are initially green and turn brown as they mature. It takes about eight months from pollination to mature seed. The seeds are 5 to 7 mm long and 2 mm wide and have a paper-like wing on each side.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.

distribution

Distribution area of the sandarak tree

The distribution area of Tetraclinis articulata extends from Morocco over the northern areas of Algeria and Tunisia to Libya . The species forms entire forests on the Atlas . There are small, critically endangered populations in southern Spain and Malta . The sandarak tree is the national tree of Malta; nevertheless this species is endangered there.

Systematics

It was first published under the name ( Basionym ) Thuja articulata in 1791 by Martin Vahl . The new combination to Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. was published by Maxwell Tylden Masters in 1892 .

Further synonyms for Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast. are for example Callitris quadrivalvis Vent. and Cupressus articulata (Vahl) J. Forbes .

Tetraclinis articulata is the only species of the genus Tetraclinis in the subfamily Cupressoideae within the family of Cupressaceae . The genus Tetraclinis is close to the genera Platycladus , Microbiota and Calocedrus .

use

African sandarak is obtained from plant parts of Tetraclinis articulata for smoking . The wood is used as firewood and Essaouira in Morocco is known for handicrafts made from the grain wood of the sandarak tree. Wood obtained from the burl that grows underground is traded as Thuja burl.

swell

Christopher J. Earle: Tetraclinis articulata. In: The Gymnosperm Database. 2010, accessed October 20, 2011 .
Monograph locale d'environnement de Essaouira (PDF), ONEM, Morocco 1996, pages 18–22 (French).
A. Morte, M. Honrubia: Tetraclinis articulata (Cartagena Cypress). In: YPS Bajaj: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry. 35, Trees IV, Springer, 1996, ISBN 978-3-642-08226-9 (Reprint), pp 407-423, doi: 10.1007 / 978-3-662-10617-4_24 , online at researchgate.net retrieved on November 14, 2018.

Individual evidence

↑ Josef Grossmann: Commercial knowledge of woodworking. Wood as a raw material. Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden 2nd edition 1922. ISBN 978-3-663-15966-7 (ebook), on p. 110.

Web links

Commons : Sandarak tree ( Tetraclinis articulata ) - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Tetraclinis articulata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: P. Sánchez Gómez, D. Stevens, M. Fennane, M. Gardner, P. Thomas, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2013.

[1] Josef Grossmann: Commercial knowledge of woodworking. Wood as a raw material. Springer Verlag, Wiesbaden 2nd edition 1922. ISBN 978-3-663-15966-7 (ebook), on p. 110.