Sciadopitys verticillata
{{short description|Species of conifer}}
{{Redirect|Umbrella pine|the Mediterranean tree species less commonly referred to by this name|Pinus pinea}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Late Cretaceous|Recent}}
| image = Sciadopitys verticillata.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = NT
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Sciadopitys
| species = verticillata
| authority = (Thunb.) Siebold & Zucc.
| synonyms_ref =
| synonyms = * Pinus verticillata (Thunb.) Siebold
- Podocarpus verticillatus (Thunb.) Jacques
- Taxus verticillata Thunb. 1784
}}
Sciadopitys verticillata, the {{Transliteration|ja|italics=no|kōyamaki}} or Japanese umbrella-pine, is a unique conifer endemic to Japan, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. It is the sole living member of the family Sciadopityaceae and genus Sciadopitys, a living fossil with no close relatives. The oldest fossils of Sciadopitys are from the Late Cretaceous of Japan, and the genus was widespread in Laurasia during most of the Cenozoic, especially in Europe until the Pliocene.{{Cite journal |last1=Hofmann |first1=Christa-Ch. |last2=Odgerel |first2=Nyamsambuu |last3=Seyfullah |first3=Leyla J. |date=2021 |title=The occurrence of pollen of Sciadopityaceae Luerss. through time |url=http://fi.nm.cz/en/clanek/the-occurrence-of-pollen-of-sciadopityaceae-luerss-through-time-2/ |journal=Fossil Imprint |language=en |volume=77 |issue=2 |pages=271–281 |doi=10.37520/fi.2021.019 |s2cid=245555379 |issn=2533-4069|doi-access=free }} A European relative of this species may have been the primary source of Baltic amber, according to some studies.{{Cite journal |last=Wolfe |first=Alexander P. |last2=Tappert |first2=Ralf |last3=Muehlenbachs |first3=Karlis |last4=Boudreau |first4=Marc |last5=McKellar |first5=Ryan C. |last6=Basinger |first6=James F. |last7=Garrett |first7=Amber |date=July 2009 |title=A new proposal concerning the botanical origin of Baltic amber |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2009.0806 |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=276 |issue=1672 |pages=3403–3412 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2009.0806 |pmc=2817186 |pmid=19570786}}
Taxonomy
Molecular evidence indicates that Sciadopityaceae is the sister group to a clade comprising Taxaceae and Cupressaceae, and has an extremely ancient divergence, having diverged from the rest of the conifers during the early mid-Permian.{{Cite journal|last1=Stull|first1=Gregory W.|last2=Qu|first2=Xiao-Jian|last3=Parins-Fukuchi|first3=Caroline|last4=Yang|first4=Ying-Ying|last5=Yang|first5=Jun-Bo|last6=Yang|first6=Zhi-Yun|last7=Hu|first7=Yi|last8=Ma|first8=Hong|last9=Soltis|first9=Pamela S.|last10=Soltis|first10=Douglas E.|last11=Li|first11=De-Zhu|date=August 2021|title=Gene duplications and phylogenomic conflict underlie major pulses of phenotypic evolution in gymnosperms|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-00964-4|journal=Nature Plants|language=en|volume=7|issue=8|pages=1015–1025|doi=10.1038/s41477-021-00964-4|pmid=34282286 |bibcode=2021NatPl...7.1015S |s2cid=236141481 |issn=2055-0278|url-access=subscription}}
There is inconsistent evidence regarding the plant family which produced Baltic amber. Both macrofossil and microfossil evidence suggest a Pinus relative, whereas chemical and infrared microspectroscopy evidence suggest relatives of either Agathis or Sciadopitys.{{cite journal|last1=Wolfe|first1=A. P.|last2=Tappert|first2=R.|last3=Muehlenbachs|first3=K.|last4=Boudreau|first4=M.|last5=McKellar|first5=R. C.|last6=Basinger|first6=J. F.|last7=Garrett|first7=A.|year=2009|title=A New Proposal Concerning the Botanical Origin of Baltic Amber|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B|volume=276|issue=1672|pages=3403–3412|doi=10.1098/rspb.2009.0806|pmc=2817186|pmid=19570786}}{{cite book|last1=Weitschat|first1=W.|title=Biodiversity of Fossils in Amber from the Major World Deposits|last2=Wichard|first2=W.|date=2010|publisher=Siri Scientific Press|isbn=978-0-9558636-4-6|editor-last=Penney|editor-first=D.|pages=80–115|chapter=Chapter 6: Baltic amber}}
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Etymology
The genus name Sciadopitys comes from Greek {{Transliteration|grc|sciádos}} ({{lang|grc|σκιάδος}}) meaning 'umbrella' and {{Transliteration|grc|pitys}} ({{lang|grc|πίτυς}}) meaning 'pine'.{{cite book |author=Wilhelm Miller |title=Cyclopedia of American Horticulture: R-Z |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHo5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1628 |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan |page=1628 |date=1900}} The species name verticillata is a descriptive epithet meaning 'whorled'.
Description
File:Flore des serres v14 249a.jpg
Sciadopitys verticillata is a slow-growing evergreen conifer native to Japan. It typically reaches 10–15 m (33–50 ft) in cultivation, though larger specimens may occur in the wild. The species is characterized by reddish-brown bark that peels in vertical strips and by its distinctive foliage, which consists of whorled, glossy, dark green phylloclade—modified stem structures that resemble needles—measuring 6–13 cm (2.5–5 in) in length. These phylloclades are arranged in umbrella-like clusters at the ends of branches, giving the tree its common name. The seed cones are ovoid to cylindrical, measuring 6–11 cm (2.5–4.25 in) long, and require approximately two years to mature.{{Cite web |title=Sciadopitys verticillata - Plant Finder |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a167 |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}
History
Sciadopitys verticillata was initially described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1784. An early attempt to introduce the plant to the West was made around 1853 at the request of Thomas Lobb, but the effort was unsuccessful, as both plants died shortly after arriving in Europe.{{Cite web |title=Sciadopitys verticillata - Trees and Shrubs Online |url=https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/sciadopitys/sciadopitys-verticillata/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.treesandshrubsonline.org}} The plant was successfully introduced to the UK by John Gould Veitch in September 1860.{{cite book | author=James Herbert Veitch | author-link=James Herbert Veitch | title=Hortus Veitchii| publisher=Caradoc Doy
| year=2006|edition=reprint|pages=51–52| isbn=0-9553515-0-2}} Considered attractive, this tree is popular in gardens, despite its slow growth rate. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web
| url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/16830/i-Sciadopitys-verticillata-i/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - Sciadopitys verticillata
| access-date = 6 November 2018}}{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf
| title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 96 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society
| access-date = 6 November 2018}}
A stylized representation of the tree (known in Japanese as {{Transliteration|ja|kōyamaki}}) was chosen as the Japanese Imperial crest for the Akishino branch of the Imperial Family.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Gallery
File:Sciadopitys verticillata cones Rogów.jpg|Sciadopitys carpellate cones and dried needlesFile:Sciadopitys verticillata cutting.jpg
File:Sciadopitys verticillata3.jpg|Staminate cones and needles
File:Sciadopitys verticillata (leaf).jpg|Needles
File:Sciadopitys verticillata s2.jpg|Full tree in Mount Futatsumori, Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
File:Umbrella pine.jpg|Leaves with a mature cone in Seattle, Washington
References
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External links
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
- [http://www.pinetum.org/sp/SCverticillata.htm Arboretum de Villardebelle Photos: foliage, immature cones]
- [http://www.pinetum.org/cones/SCcones.htm Arboretum de Villardebelle Photo: mature cone]
- [https://conifersociety.org/conifers/sciadopitys-verticillata/ American Conifer Society]
- [http://blogs.ubc.ca/conifersubc/?page_id=66 Conifers of UBC]
- [http://www.conifers.org/sc/sc/index.htm Gymnosperm Database]
- [http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/scve1.htm Photos of plant habit]
- [http://www.alpine-plants-jp.com/himitunohanazono/kouyamaki_himitu_2.htm Images: Cone], [http://www.alpine-plants-jp.com/himitunohanazono/kouyamaki_himitu_1.htm Leaf], [http://www.alpine-plants-jp.com/himitunohanazono/kouyamaki_himitu_3.htm Seeds] Flavon's Wild herb and Alpine plants
{{Pinophyta}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q161648}}
Category:Endemic flora of Japan
Category:Plants described in 1784
Category:Garden plants of Asia
Category:Threatened flora of Asia
Category:Carnian first appearances
Category:Extant Late Triassic first appearances