Japanese Cedar (redirected from Cryptomeria)

Japanese Cedar 

(Cryptomeria japonica), a coniferous ever-green tree of the family Taxodiaceae. It has a straight, slender trunk measuring approximately 50 m tall, with a narrow, dense crown. The bark is brownish red and fibrous. The light green leaves are spirally arranged, linear-subulate, and decurrent at the base. The cones are nearly globose, brownish, and solitary; they measure approximately 2 cm in diameter. The cones mature in the first year and remain on the tree after their seeds are disseminated. The Japanese cedar is native to Japan and China, where it forms pure stands on the mountains. It is grown in gardens and parks. In the USSR it is found on the Black Sea shore of the Caucasus and in the Crimea. The wood is soft, light, and resistant to rotting; it is easy to work with and sometimes has a beautiful grain.

REFERENCES

Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol. 1. Moscow-Leningrad, 1949.
Dallimore, W., and A. B. Jackson. A Handbook ofConiferae Including Ginkgoaceae [4th ed.]. London, 1966.