Common Names

Aka-ezomatsu [Japanese] (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).

Taxonomic notes

Syn.: Abies glehnii F. Schmidt, Reis. Amur-Land., Bot.: 176, t. 48-12 (1868) (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).

Description

Monoecious evergreen tree to 30 m tall and 100 cm dbh. Bark grey-brown, fissured and peeling off in scales. Branchlets red-brown, grooved, densely brownish puberulent; pulvini 0.6-0.7 mm long. Leaves coriaceous, linear, quadrangular, 8-12 mm long, ca. 1 mm across, apex pointed, deep green, with two distinct white stomatal bands on upper surface and two indistinct ones on lower surface; resin canals two, marginal, one larger. Flowers June, solitary, terminal on previous year's shoots. Pollen cones cylindric, with slender stalk ca. 2 mm long, red-brown, 7-14 mm long, 4 mm wide, with numerous stamens. Seed cones subsessile, cylindric, red-purple maturing (in September) brown, 3-5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide. Cone scales numerous, persistent, thinly woody, orbicular-obovate, cuneate to base, 8-10 mm long and wide; bract scales small, acute, ca. 3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Seeds obovate, pale brown, ca. 3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; wings obovate, pale brown, 5-6 mm long, 3-4 mm wide. Chromosome number: 2n = 24 (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).

A form with green or greenish yellow ripening cones is named f. chlorocarpa Miyabe et Kudô, Icon. Forest Trees Hokkaido 1: 16, t. 5 1-14. 1920) (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).

Range

Russia: S Sakhalin and the Kuriles; Japan: Kuriles, Hokkaido and N Honshu (Iwate Prefecture, Mt. Hayachine). Grows from near sea level to 1600 m elevation (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

Masters. 1880. Gardeners Chronicle 13: 300, t. 54.

See Also

Farjon 1990.