Incense cedar
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California Frankincense Cedar ( Calocedrus decurrens ) in Yosemite National Park, California |
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| Calocedrus decurrens | ||||||||||||
| ( Torr. ) Florin |
The frankincense cedar , California frankincense cedar or California river cedar ( Calocedrus decurrens ) forms one of the four species of the genus of the frankincense cedar ( Calocedrus ). Characteristics of this species are the elongated annual cones made up of six scales , the thuja- like twigs and the orange-colored, longitudinally cracked bark of older trees. The incense cedar stands out with its mighty, columnar trunks, and in the open air with its narrow, dense crowns reaching down to the ground. The natural range includes the US states California and Oregon as well as the Mexican state Baja California . The cedar of incense is the main supplier of wood in the United States, which is used to make pencils .
description
Appearance
The California frankincense cedar is an evergreen tree and reaches heights of growth of 60 meters and more, with a maximum of 69 meters. At high altitudes, the trees remain small or grow shrub-like . Trunk diameters of 3 to 4.5 meters are achieved, with the trunk base often being broadened by roots. The trunk of older trees is covered by an approximately 15 centimeter thick, fibrous, orange to cinnamon colored and deeply grooved bark that can peel off in thin plates. The color is similar to that of the giant sequoia tree ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ), but the bark does not have its spongy structure. The branches in the lower part of the tree bend down in an arch, in the upper part of the crown they stand up straight. The rather short and strong branches in the middle of the crown are mostly horizontal, but can turn up abruptly. In old trees, thick branches often grow parallel to the trunk. Branches going off the main branches are hanging in the lower part and form a columnar to pyramidal, later a dome-shaped or open crown. Young incense cedars have a broad triangular shape and thus resemble young specimens of the giant sequoia. The leafy branches grow dense, horizontal and upright near the tip. They are flattened towards the end and covered with green leaves. Lateral branches fall off after two to three years. Young shoots are fan-shaped, their bark turns reddish after two years.
leaves
Like other cypress plants, the California incense cedar does not form winter buds ; instead, the tip of the shoot is protected by close-fitting leaves . The scale-shaped leaf organs stand opposite to one another in four-fold whorls made up of two lateral edge leaves and two frontal flat leaves . The edge leaves are sloping , keeled, linear-lanceolate and have a slightly curved tip. They partially cover the somewhat shorter and broad spatulate surface leaves. The tips of the edge and surface leaves are always at the same height, which is a characteristic of the species. The leaves have different sizes, they are about 2 millimeters long and 1.5 millimeters wide on the outermost branches and 15 millimeters long and 3 millimeters wide on young shoots. The leaves are entire, and show on both sides of stomata . The edging leaves have two narrow stomata opening strips on the top and several on the bottom. The stomata of the surface leaves are limited to the sides and hidden in grooves between the leaves. Glands are only weakly developed, most clearly at the tip of the surface leaves. The visible surfaces of the leaves are mostly light green, rarely dark green. The leaves stay on the tree for two to three years. When rubbed, they smell like turpentine .
Cones and seeds
The California incense cedar is single sexed ( monoecious ), male and female cones even grow on the same branch. The male pollen cones are elongated, 6 to 8 millimeters long, 2 to 3 millimeters wide, initially light yellow, later brown and stand individually at the ends of short, more or less hanging branches. They have 10 to 14 cross-opposed, shield-shaped, round, pointed microsporophylls with a serrated edge and three to four abaxial pollen sacs each . The pollen is released in winter, spread by the wind and can cause hay fever. Due to the large number of male cones, the trees appear yellowish in winter.
The female cones often grow individually and in large numbers on more or less hanging branches. They are ovate-elongated or elongated when closed, sometimes only 15, usually 20 to 35 millimeters long, 8 to 13 millimeters wide, smooth or furrowed. They ripen after a year, then turn reddish brown and soon fall off. However, some cones can remain on the tree until next summer even after the seeds have been released. The three, rarely four pairs of covering scales grow opposite to each other. The first pair, standing near the base, does not develop fully, has bent back scales and remains sterile. The middle, fertile pair sticks out horizontally. It is somewhat curved, convex on the outside, with a small dome near the tip and two ovules pressed against the base of each scale. The outer pair is barren, straight, laterally flattened with two small ovules and knobs on the cover scales. The middle and outer scales are 18 to 30 millimeters long and 8 to 13 millimeters wide, light brown and wrinkled inside.
The seeds are elongated, slightly flattened, pointed towards the tip, 8 to 12 millimeters long, 3 to 4 millimeters wide, light whitish-brown and provided with two unequal wings. The larger wing is 18 to 23 millimeters long, the smaller one forms a strip with a free tip. The seeds are spread by the wind. The average thousand grain weight is 30 grams and varies from 16 to 70 grams. The flowering time is in January, the seeds are released at the end of August at lower altitudes and in October at higher altitudes. It lasts until winter. The trees are manageable after about 25 years , and a larger number of cones are formed every three to six years.
Male cones
Mature female cones
Cones and seeds
root
The root system is widely ramified, well developed and makes the tree storm-proof and drought-resistant. In the first year, however, the roots remain about 30 centimeters shorter than that of the yellow pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) or the sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana ), which is a competitive disadvantage during summer dry periods, but is compensated for in the second and third year. The growth maximum is in spring and another maximum in autumn. Due to the drought, root growth is slow during the summer. Rapidly growing roots hardly branch out, only when the longitudinal growth decreases do numerous side roots arise.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
Distribution and location requirements
The natural range is limited to the Pacific western part of the United States and Mexico and extends from Mt. Hood in Oregon along the Cascade Range over the Siskiyou Mountains , the Sierra Nevada to the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in the Mexican state of Baja California . The main distribution area is the central area of the Sierra Nevada at altitudes of 1000 to 2000 meters. In the northern part of the distribution area, the tree species occurs mainly at altitudes between 300 and 2000 meters, in the southern part at altitudes between 900 and 3000 meters.
The distribution area extends from the fog belt on the Pacific to the semi-arid east of Oregon. The annual amount of precipitation varies between 500 and 2000 millimeters, some of which falls as snow. In extreme years, the amount of precipitation falls below 400 millimeters and monthly values below 25 millimeters. Dry summers with less than 25 millimeters per month are common. Extreme temperatures are -34 degrees Celsius and +48 degrees Celsius. Optimal locations in the Sierra Nevada have an average August temperature of around 21 degrees Celsius, an average of 158 frost-free days and a vegetation period of 180 days per year. The frankincense cedar grows on neutral to strongly acidic soils, on coarse sands and heavy clays . Parent rocks include diorite , peridotite , sandstone , serpentine and granite . It is rare on calcareous soils. Waterlogged locations are avoided.
The California Frankincense Cedar is listed on the IUCN Red List as not endangered ( Lower Risk / Least Concern ). It is pointed out, however, that a new check of the risk is necessary.
ecology
Socialization
The California incense cedar occurs singly or in small groups in mixed forests characterized by conifers, but does not form pure stands. In typical primeval forests, it rarely accounts for more than ten percent of the stand volume.
In the northern part of the range, it is typically found together with the Jeffreys pine ( Pinus jeffreyi ), the yellow pine ( Pinus ponderosa ), the sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana ), the western Weymouth pine ( Pinus monticola ), the coastal pine fir ( Abies grandis ), with the Sierra-form of Abies concolor ( Abies concolor var. Iowiana ), the West American hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla ), the Thuja plicata ( Thuja plicata ) of Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) and the Oregon Oak ( Quercus garryana ). In the central and southern part of the range it forms communities with the magnificent fir ( Abies magnifica ), coastal pine ( Pinus contorta ), Coulter pine ( Pinus coulteri ), with the large cone Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga macrocarpa ) and the California black oak ( Quercus kelloggii) ). In some areas it is also found together with the giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) and Lawson's false cypress ( Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ). In addition, the bearberry Arctostaphylos patula , Chrysolepis sempervirens and various types of sacflower grow as shrubs .
The California frankincense cedar is a penumbra species that can withstand strong shading on moist soils. In the Sierra Nevada, together with the Colorado fir ( Abies concolor ) , it displaces species that require light such as the yellow pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) and the sugar pine ( Pinus lambertiana ), which, however, regain a foothold in gaps in stocks and on burned areas.
growth
The Californian incense cedar reaches an old age of 300 to 500 years, older trees with an age of up to 1000 years have also been documented. However, it is one of the slow growing trees. In a young mixed forest in the Sierra Nevada, an average annual increase in diameter of 81 millimeters was measured with an average increase in height of 30 centimeters. At the age of 90 the increase in diameter is 36 millimeters and the height increase is 20 centimeters. The California incense cedar usually only forms trees of medium height in forests, whereby the height that can be achieved varies depending on the area of distribution. Under poor conditions, lone representatives of the species outperform all other trees except the Colorado fir ( Abies concolor ), under more favorable conditions it falls behind other species in growth and is additionally hindered in growth by the shade. In the California coastal mountains , the average height is between 18 and 24 meters, in the Sierra Nevada area heights of over 40 meters are often reached.
It does not reproduce vegetatively under natural conditions . The seeds germinate epigeously and reach 5 to 10 centimeters in height in the first year. There are usually two, more rarely three, needle-shaped cotyledons that are 2.5 centimeters long. These are followed first by needle-shaped and later by awl primary needles. The scale-shaped subsequent leaves only appear from the first year. Usually young trees develop very slowly, often only 8 to 15 centimeters in height is achieved in the first three to five years. Causes for this are lack of light, browsing and caterpillar damage.
The spring shoot does not take place abruptly, but is a rather continuous growth process, which is why no annual boundaries are visible on the shoots. Usually the annual increase in thickness begins before the increase in height.
Pathogens, parasites and harmful effects
The most important stem rot pathogen is the white porling Tyromyces amarus , which only occurs on the frankincense cedar ; other fungi can hardly overcome the defense substances present in the wood. In the event of an infestation, numerous pocket-shaped rotten spots develop, which greatly reduce the stability of the trunk and thus exclude its technical usability. In the Sierra Nevada, over three quarters of the trees are infected by this pathogen. Since severe damage only occurs to trees over 200 years of age, the effects on commercial forests with significantly shorter rotation times are small. Less important stem rot pathogens are the pine brown sponge Phaeolus schweinitzii and the pine fire sponge Phellinus pini . Root pathogens such as the common root sponge ( Heterobasidion annosum ), the pore sponge Poria weirii and the common honey fungus ( Armillaria mellea ) also cause root pathogens . The bark-dwelling rust fungus Gymnosporangium libocedri causes shoot swellings and the formation of witches' brooms and also causes individual branches to die off. This is a host-changing fungus that uses rose plants (Rosaceae) such as hawthorn ( Crataegus ) and rock pear species ( Amelanchier ) as intermediate hosts . Further pathogens are the black snow mold ( Herbotrichia nigra ) and the Seiridium cardinale , which causes bark necrosis and which triggers cypress death .
The mistletoe-like semi-parasite Phoradendron juniperinum subsp. Is widespread and striking . libocedri , which causes swelling and also crown thinning through loss of branches. Although it can live up to 400 years, the damage it causes is minimal. A large number of insects living on the incense cedar, can harm almost all bark beetles of the genus Phloeosinus which in proliferation also attack healthy trees. Caterpillars from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae) mainly attack young trees.
Ground fire destroys the young growth and causes trunk wounds on older trees and thus entry gates for Tyromyces amarus . The incense cedar is largely insensitive to hailstorms and ozone , but is severely damaged by de-icing salts .
Systematics
The California incense cedar ( Calocedrus decurrens ) is one of four species from the genus of calocedrus ( Calocedrus ) in the family of cypress plants (Cupressaceae). There the genus is assigned to the subfamily Cupressoideae. The species was by John Torrey 1853 in Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge as Libocedrus decurrens ( Basionym ) first described and libocedrus ( Libocedrus attributed). Carl Rudolf Florin placed the species in Taxon in the genus Calocedrus in 1956 . The genus name Calocedrus is derived from the Greek kalos for "beautiful" and the Latin cedrus probably for the juniper ( Juniperus oxycedrus ) or another species with fragrant wood. Cedrus is also the generic name of the cedar trees . The specific epithet decurrens comes from Latin and means "running down", it describes the shape of the scale leaves.
No subspecies or varieties are distinguished. The genetic diversity between different areas of origin and different populations is about the same, despite the lower height growth and shorter branch lengths of representatives from the southern distribution area. The intra-specific differentiation is limited to horticultural cultivars. Species bastards of the frankincense cedar are not known.
use
Use of wood
| Parameter | value | unit |
|---|---|---|
| Compressive strength | 36-38 | N / mm² |
| Flexural strength | 55 | N / mm² |
| Shear strength | 6th | N / mm² |
The wood has a reddish-brown color core , in contrast to living wood , which is resistant to putrefactive agents and a narrow, creamy-white to yellowish sapwood . The annual rings are easily recognizable, have only a narrow latewood zone and are often wavy. Tracheids make up about 80 percent of wood tissue. They have lengths of 900 to 3000 micrometers and in latewood a wall thickness of 4.8 to 9.9 micrometers. The rays are 9 to 16 micrometers wide and 40 to 275 micrometers high. Resin channels are missing. The wood is light and very durable, has a uniform texture and is easy to split, nail and screw. It smells intensely of incense.
Compared to other species, however, it is of little economic importance, as the frankincense cedar is only found sporadically or in small groups in natural forests. In addition, the wood is often devalued by a stem rot pathogen. The manufacture of pencils is of the greatest economic importance because the wood is soft, straight-grained and does not tend to splinter. It can be easily pointed in any direction. The wood is obtained by felling a small number of individual trees. In the United States, cedar incense is the primary source of wood for pencils. Despite the frequent infestation by Tyromyces amarus, the dry, built-up wood is resistant to rot , even when it comes into contact with the ground and in damp locations. It is therefore used for windows, fences, masts, shingles, railway sleepers or even greenhouse tables. Due to the pleasant smell, it is used in interior construction and to make chests.
Other uses
Contrary to its name and despite the fragrant foliage, the incense cedar is not used as an incense. However, it is cultivated as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, for example in Western and Central Europe. In Germany they are found for example in the botanical garden of Bonn , in the Botanical Gardens Frankfurt , in Freiburg Botanical Gardens and Botanical Garden Kiel . In Austria there is an incense cedar in Vienna in the Burggarten , a small forest of around 35-year-old trees (as of 2006) is in Zelking-Matzleinsdorf . In Switzerland there is a specimen in the Basel Botanical Garden .
There are several horticultural ornamental forms, including the varieties:
- 'Compacta'
- 'Nana'
- 'Glauca' with blue-green scale leaves
- 'Aureovariegata' with golden yellow branches
- 'Horizontalis' with horizontally protruding branches
- 'Columnaris' is a slender columnar variety that is widely used in horticulture.
Cultivation, propagation and cultivation trials
The cones are usually harvested by hand, after which the cones are left to dry for three to seven days in dry and warm weather, until the seeds detach easily from the opened cone. One hectolitre of cones yields about 3.75 kilograms of seeds, which can be stored for about two years in cold and dry conditions. The seeds are usually sown in autumn, whereby the seedlings must be protected from late frost. When sowing in spring, the seeds must first be cold-treated for 30 to 60 days . The mean germination rate in both the nursery and in the natural stock is around 20 to 40 percent. The incense cedar does not reproduce vegetatively under natural conditions, but cuttings can be treated with growth material and then also take root.
In cultivation trials in Germany, 50- to 80-year-old trees reached a height of 16 to 26 meters and withstood winter temperatures of −20 degrees Celsius. However, field trials in the state of New York in the northeastern United States were less successful due to cold damage.
Use by the Indians
A number of applications with the indigenous peoples are known: The bark, for example, was used by the Cahuilla as a material for building their huts, and the first white settlers also used the bark to build hut roofs. The Klamath in present-day Oregon used the branches and twigs for steam baths and the wood to make baskets. In California, decoctions of the leaves were used by the Indians for stomach ailments and the leaves themselves were used to improve the taste of acorn dishes. The Paiute used the steam produced when the leaves were brewed to inhale for colds and the bark to make baskets that were used to collect blackberries. The Washoe made bows from the wood.
literature
- Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers . tape 1 . Brill, Leiden-Boston 2010, ISBN 90-04-17718-3 , pp. 246-247 .
- Peter Schütt and Ulla Lang: Calocedrus decurrens. In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 99-106 .
- Robert F. Powers, William W. Oliver: Incense-Cedar. In: Russell H. Burns: Silvics of North America . Volume 1 Conifers . United States Government Printing, 1991, ISBN 0-16-027145-2 ( online ).
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico . Volume 2: Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms . Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford a. a. 1993, ISBN 0-19-508242-7 (English).
- Andreas Roloff , Andreas Bärtels: Flora of the woods. Purpose, properties and use. With a winter key from Bernd Schulz. 3rd, corrected edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5614-6 , p. 716.
- Peter Schütt, Hans Joachim Schuck, Bernd Stimm: Lexicon of tree and shrub species . Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-53-8 , pp. 94 .
- Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 , pp. 118, 137, 201 (reprint from 1996).
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 )
- Christopher J. Earle: Calocedrus decurrens. In: The Gymnosperm Database. August 2, 2011, accessed April 14, 2011 .
- Calocedrus decurrens at Plants For A Future . Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- Calocedrus decurrens. In: The Plant List. Retrieved February 21, 2013 .
Individual evidence
- ^ German name according to Schütt et al .: Lexicon of Conifers , p. 99
- ^ German name after Schütt, Schuck, Stimm: Lexikon der Baum- und Straucharten , p. 94
- ^ German name according to Schütt et al .: Lexikon der Nadelbäume , p. 99 and Schütt, Schuck, Stimm: Lexikon der Baum- und Straucharten , p. 94
- ↑ a b c Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 100
- ^ A b c John W. Thieret: Calocedrus decurrens in Flora of North America , Volume 2
- ↑ a b c Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , pp. 100-101
- ↑ a b c d e f Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 103
- ↑ a b Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 1, p. 246
- ↑ Roloff et al .: Flora of the Woods , p. 716
- ^ Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 1, pp. 246-247
- ↑ Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 101
- ↑ Jennifer E. Tollefson: Calocedrus decurrens. In: Fire Effects Information System. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, 2008, accessed February 22, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 1, p. 247
- ↑ a b Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , pp. 101-102
- ↑ a b Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 102
- ^ A b c Powers, Oliver: Incense-Cedar In: Silvics of North America
- ↑ Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , pp. 103-104
- ↑ Calocedrus decurrens in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on February 19 2012th
- ↑ a b c d e f g Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 104
- ↑ a b c d Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 105
- ^ A b Calocedrus decurrens in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ↑ Libocedrus decurrens in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ↑ To be precise: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. Pp. 118, 137
- ↑ To be precise: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. P. 201
- ↑ Values from R. Wagenführ, C. Scheiber: Holzatlas , VEB Fachbuchverlag, 1974, Leipzig, quoted from Schütt et al .: Lexicon of Conifers , p. 103
- ^ Roy Genders: Scented Flora of the World . Mayflower, 1978, ISBN 978-0-583-12891-9 . Quoted from Calocedrus decurrens in Plants For A Future . Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Schütt, Lang: Calocedrus decurrens in Lexicon of Conifers , p. 106
- ↑ Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin. In: SysTax - detailed information taxon. Ulm University, accessed on February 23, 2013 .
- ^ Helga Maria Wolf: Burggarten. In: Heimatlexikon. Austria-Forum, June 17, 2012, accessed on February 23, 2012 .
- ↑ Franz Essl, Oliver Stöhr: Remarkable floristic finds from Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria, Part III . In: Biology Center Linz / Austria (Ed.): Linzer biological contributions . 38th volume, issue 1. Linz July 21, 2006, p. 126 ( PDF on ZOBODAT [accessed on February 23, 2013]).
- ↑ Calocedrus decurrens, Cupressaceae. (No longer available online.) In: Botanical Image Database - University of Basel. University of Basel, formerly in the original ; accessed on February 23, 2013 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Steve Cafferty: Cosmos-Atlas trees of the world . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-440-10983-0 , p. 87 .
- ↑ Calocedrus decurrens . (No longer available online.) In: Native American Botany. University of Michigan - Dearborn, archived from the original on July 29, 2013 ; accessed on February 23, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
