Common Names

T. dolabrata is called ASUHI [Japanese] (Silba 1986), hiba arborvitae (Watson and Eckenwalder 1993), or luo han bai [Chinese] (Fu et al. 1999).

Taxonomic notes

First described as Dolophyllum Salisbury 1817, a fact not discovered until very recently. Salisbury did not describe an accompanying species and did not make the combination Dolophyllum dolabratum, so the type species remains Thuja dolabrata L. f. Since all publications since 1844 have cited Thujopsis and the genus is widely known by that name in the horticultural trade and to others who have occasion to deal with it, Farjon and Hunt (1994) have proposed conservation of the name Thujopsis. The genus has also been cited, due to orthographic errors, as Thuiopsis and Thuyopsis (Farjon and Hunt 1994).

One species, Thujopsis dolabrata (Thunberg ex Linnaeus f.) Siebold & Zuccarini 1844 (syn: Thuja dolabrata Thunberg ex Linnaeus f. 1782; Platycladus dolabrata (Thunberg ex Linnaeus f.) Spach; Thujopsis dolabrata var. australis A. Henry). Two varieties, the type and T. dolabrata var. hondae.

Description

Monoecious trees to 15 m tall; bark thin, gray or reddish brown, peeling off in long strips; crown pyramidal; branches ascending; branchlets 4-6 mm in diameter, arranged in a plane, flattened, lower side with white powder. Leaves decussate, scalelike, dimorphic along branchlets; lateral leaves boat-shaped, deep green adaxially, ovate-lanceolate, 4-7×1.5-2.2 mm, with a white stomatal band abaxially, apex obtuse, slightly incurved, overlapping margins of facial leaves, which are appressed, broadly obovate. Cones terminal, solitary. Pollen cones cylindric; microsporophylls 12-20. Seed cones 1-1.6 cm diameter, subglobose; cones scales 6-8, flat, woody, usually mucronate below apex, each fertile scale with 3-5 seeds. Seeds ellipsoid, 4-5×3-3.5 mm, with 2 thick, lateral, narrow wings. Cotyledons 2 (Fu et al. 1999).

Range

Japan (Fu et al. 1999).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

I have evidence of one study (Ohyama et al. 2007), which I have not yet read.

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

Farjon, Aljos and David R. Hunt. 1994. Proposal to conserve Thujopsis Endl. against Dolophyllum Salisb. (Cupressaceae). Taxon 43(2):291-292.

Ohyama, M., M. Ohwada, and M. Suzuki. 2007. Chronology development of Hiba arbor-vitae (Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondae) and dating of timbers from an old building. Journal of Wood Science 53:5367-5373.

See Also

Farjon 2005 (as one species with two varieties).