Japanese umbrella-pine

Sciadopitys verticillata

''Sciadopitys verticillata'', the kōyamaki or Japanese umbrella-pine, is a unique conifer endemic to Japan. It is the sole member of the family Sciadopityaceae and genus ''Sciadopitys'', a living fossil with no close relatives, and present in the fossil record for about 230 million years.
Japanese Umbrella-pine - Sciadopitys verticillata This tree really seemed out of place. And, it was huge. Unfortunately, I only had my macro lens, so I'll have to go back to get a full shot of the whole tree. This species is the only member of the family Sciadopityaceae and the genus Sciadopitys. It's a living fossil with no close relatives. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/91841/japanese_umbrella-pine_-_sciadopitys_verticillata.html Geotagged,Japanese Umbrella-pine,Japanese umbrella-pine,Sciadopitys verticillata,Spring,United States,conifer,evergreen,pine

Appearance

It is an evergreen tree that can grow 15–27 m tall, with brown main shoots bearing whorls of 7–12 cm long flexible green cladodes that look like, and perform the function of, leaves but are actually composed of stem tissues; occasionally, a cladode will be forked and produce a bud in the 'v' of the fork. The cones are 6–11 cm long, mature in about 18 months, and have flattish scales that open to release the seeds.
Japanese Umbrella-pine - Sciadopitys verticillata I'm assuming these are baby cones... This species is the only member of the family Sciadopityaceae and the genus Sciadopitys. It's a living fossil with no close relatives. Geotagged,Japanese umbrella-pine,Sciadopitys,Sciadopitys verticillata,Spring,United States,pine

Naming

Its genus name comes from the Greek prefix ''sciado-'' meaning "shadow" and ''pitys'', meaning "pine"; the specific epithet means "with whorls".
Japanese Umbrella-pine - Sciadopitys verticillata This tree really seemed out of place. And, it was huge. Unfortunately, I only had my macro lens, so I'll have to go back to get a full shot of the whole tree. This species is the only member of the family Sciadopityaceae and the genus Sciadopitys. It's a living fossil with no close relatives. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/91842/japanese_umbrella-pine_-_sciadopitys_verticillata.html Geotagged,Japanese umbrella-pine,Sciadopitys,Sciadopitys verticillata,Spring,United States,conifer,evergreen,kōyamaki,pine

Evolution

The plant was first introduced to Europe by John Gould Veitch in September 1860. It is a very attractive tree and is popular in gardens, despite its slow growth rate. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

A symbolic representation of the tree was chosen as the Japanese Imperial crest for Prince Hisahito of Akishino, currently second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Near threatened
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionPinophyta
ClassPinopsida
OrderPinales
FamilySciadopityaceae
GenusSciadopitys
SpeciesS. verticillata
Photographed in
United States of America