Widdringtonia nodiflora

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Widdringtonia nodiflora
Widdringtonia nodiflora - Kirstenbosch Cape Town 2.JPG

Widdringtonia nodiflora

Systematics
Class : Coniferopsida
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Subfamily : Callitroideae
Genre : Widdringtonia
Type : Widdringtonia nodiflora
Scientific name
Widdringtonia nodiflora
( L. ) Powrie

Widdringtonia nodiflora is a plant from the family of the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It is native to southeast Africa.

description

Widdringtonia nodiflora grows as an evergreen tree that can reach heights of up to 6 meters and more. The brown to gray bark is finely fissured lengthways and flakes off in long and narrow strips, revealing a reddish bark .

Young, needle-like leaves are green, up to 20 millimeters long and arranged in a spiral on the branches. Older leaves are scale-like, dark green in color and up to 2 millimeters long.

The male cones are at the end of the branches and reach a length of 2 to 4 millimeters. The spherical female cones are 1.5 to 2 centimeters thick and are dark brown in color as they mature. Each cone consists of four woody cone scales with a warty surface. The cones of a tree can be in different stages of development. The dark brown to black seeds have a conspicuous, red colored wing.

Spread and endangerment

The natural range of Widdringtonia nodiflora extends from Malawi and Mozambique via Zimbabwe to northern South Africa .

Widdringtonia nodiflora thrives at altitudes from 0 to 2950 meters. It grows mainly at higher altitudes, where it is often found on mountain slopes, on rocks and in gullies. Widdringtonia nodiflora is able to sprout again from the remaining parts of the plant after a fire.

Widdringtonia nodiflora is classified as “not endangered” in the IUCN Red List . The stocks are considered stable. Since, unlike the other Widdringtonia species, it is able to sprout again from the remaining parts of the plant after a fire, these do not pose a serious threat to them.

The variety Widdringtonia nodiflora var. Whytei , which some authors consider to be an independent species, Widdringtonia whytei , is classified as "critically endangered" in the IUCN Red List. Mature trees often die due to their sensitivity to fire. However, the sparse rejuvenation of this variety depends on these fires. The locations suitable for regeneration are often populated by the introduced Pinus patula .

use

The very durable, silky glossy wood of Widdringtonia nodiflora is suitable for the production of furniture and carpentry. Shingles made from the wood take on a silver-gray color over time.

Systematics

A tree of the whytei variety

The first description under the name ( Basionym ) Brunia nodiflora was in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , Volume 1, page 199. Elizabeth Powrie transferred the species in 1972 in Journal of South African Botany , Volume 38 (4), page 303 as Widdringtonia nodiflora into the genus Widdringtonia .

There are about three varieties of the species Widdringtonia nodiflora :

  • Widdringtonia nodiflora var. Dracomontana (Stapf) Silba . A synonym is Widdringtonia dracomontana Stapf .
  • Widdringtonia nodiflora var. Nodiflora , the nominate form
  • Widdringtonia nodiflora var. Whytei (Rendle) Silba : This endemic occurs only on the Mulanje massif in Malawi. Synonyms are Callitris whytei (Rendle) Engl. And Widdringtonia whytei Rendle . It has the number of chromosomes 2n = 22.

swell

  • Christopher J. Earle: Widdringtonia nodiflora. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 23, 2012, accessed on February 24, 2013 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Christopher J. Earle: Widdringtonia nodiflora. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 23, 2012, accessed on February 24, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Widdringtonia nodiflora. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network. www.ars-grin.gov, accessed on February 24, 2013 (English).
  3. ↑ Widdringtonia nodiflora in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: A. Farjon (RBG Kew), 2007. Accessed February 24, 2013.
  4. ↑ a b Widdringtonia whytei in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Accessed February 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ a b Widdringtonia nodiflora at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed February 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ Widdringtonia whytei at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed August 8, 2016.

Web links

Commons : Widdringtonia nodiflora  - Collection of images, videos and audio files