Scientific Name : Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco
Common Name : Chinese Arborvitae, Oriental Arbor-vitae
Chinese Name : 側柏
Family : CUPRESSACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | North-Central and Southeast China, Heilongjiang, Khabarovsk and North Korea. |
|---|---|
| Ecology |
Chinese Arborvitae is always appreciated for its longevity that can generally survive for centuries. The oldest Chinese Arborvitae has already reached approximately 4000 years in Shaanxi Province of China. By virtue of its rather longer lifespan, the ancient population of Chinese Arborvitae has opened avenues for our glimpsing of human history and early evolutionary events. Chinese Arborvitae is an excellent ornamental tree widely cultivated in parks and gardens. Despite its ubiquity in urban areas, the wild population is unfortunately shrinking. Recent molecular studies showed that the current population of ancient Chinese Arborvitae in China has been fragmented into a few groups with smaller population size. Probably, intensive habitat loss and fragmentation could attribute to this divergent event. Once a population size is getting reduced, it always encourages inbreeding and genetic drift, the events that can eliminate the genetic diversity and increase the probability of extinction. As a result, Chinese Arborvitae is rated as ‘near threatened’ by the Conifer Specialist Group. However, the conservation status is still in dispute due to a scarce understanding of its non-ancient population. More studies and conservation actions are urgently needed to preserve the tree. |
| Application |
Chinese Arborvitae is a versatile ornamental tree serving multiple functions in parks and gardens. The tree is always planted in solitary for its straight stem and tapering head. On account of its soft and malleable branches, the tree is always twisted into different decorative shapes. The wood is soft, durable and strongly resistant. Hence, it can be processed into furniture, ship and wooden carving. |
| Meanings of name | The generic name Platycladus refers to its flattened branchlets. The specific epithet orientalis means ‘of the East’, alluding to its origin from eastern countries. |
| Growing habit | Evergreen tree. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 20 m. |
| Crown | Pyramidal when young, broadly ovoid when old. |
| Stem | Bark reddish brown to light greyish brown, flaking in long strips. |
| Leaves | Leaves green, compressed, scaly, 4 arranged in a plane, covered with glandular dots. Facial leaves rhombus, apex bluntly pointed, overlapped by 2 lateral leaves, abaxially with an eminent groove at central. Lateral leaves boat-shaped, ridged, apex slightly incurved. |
| Pollen cones | Ovoid, yellowish green. Monoecious. |
| Seed cones | Globose, turning whitish green to reddish brown and ruptured at maturity. |
| Seed | Ovate, light brown, wingless. |
| Flowering period | March to April in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | October in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website :
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=9382
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Platycladus orientalis (Linnaeus) Franco
― Plant of the World Online : Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco