Common Names

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Heyderia K. Koch; Libocedrus sensu Bentham et Hooker pro parte (Vidakovic 1991).

Description

Trees evergreen, large. Branchlets flattened, in fan-shaped flattened sprays. Leaves opposite in 4 ranks (although apparently in whorls of 4). Adult leaves dimorphic, appressed, overlapping, scalelike, lateral leaves overlapping facial leaves, free portion of long-shoot leaves to ca. 3 mm; abaxial glands present. Staminate and ovuliferous cones monoecious, on different branchlets, rarely dioecoius. Staminate cones oblong, with 6-8 pairs of sporophylls, each sporophyll with 4 pollen sacs. Ovulate cones maturing and opening first year, ellipsoid, 17-30 mm; scales persistent, mucronate at the apex, (2)3 pairs, oblong and basifixed, valvate, woody; proximal pair reduced, sterile, often reflexed or lacking; median pair much longer, oblong, and fertile; distal pair if present connate into an erect partition, sterile. Seeds 2 per scale, lenticular, with one short and one long wing, nearly equaling the scale; cotyledons 2. x = 11 (Li 1975, Thieret 1993).

Range

W USA & Mexico, SW China & Myanmar, and Taiwan (Li 1975).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Named from Greek: callos, beautiful, and kedros, cedar (Thieret 1993).

See Also

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.