Japanese Cedar

Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)

Japanese Cedar🌲

Cryptomeria japonica

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ヒノキ科WoodyEvergreenGymnospermConiferHay fever

An evergreen conifer endemic to Japan. Dominates much of Japan's mountain forests and is well known as a major cause of hay fever (pollinosis). Its lightweight, easy-to-work timber is highly valued for construction and woodworking.

Identification Points

  • Needle-like leaves spirally arranged and appressed to the shoot
  • Bark is reddish-brown and peels in fibrous vertical strips
  • Cones are globular with pointed scale tips
  • Trunk grows straight and upright

Habitat

Mountain forests, plantation forests

Season

Year-round

3D Specimen Model

Kyushu University, Shikano Lab (CC0)

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Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification

Leaf arrangement

Alternate

Leaf type

Simple

Venation

Pinnate

Leaf dissection

Dissected

Leaf shape

Needle

Growth form

Tree

Evergreen/Deciduous

Evergreen

Leaf margin

Entire

Petal fusion

No petals

Stipules

Absent

Ovary position

Superior

Aromatic

Aromatic

Phylogenetic Positionヒノキ科

Phylogenetic Position

Gymnosperms > Pinopsida > Pinales > Cupressaceae

Divergence Era

Triassic (approx. 230 million years ago onward)

Evolution Notes

Conifers (gymnosperms) thrived during the Mesozoic Era. The genus Cryptomeria has a disjunct distribution between Japan and China.

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View ヒノキ科 page🌿 View in taxonomy
📚樹木図鑑(ナツメ社)

Sources & References

📖Wikipedia 日本語版
🤖Claude AI生成(未確認)内容の正確性は未確認。YList・Wikipedia等での点検が必要。

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