Scientific Name:
Cryptomeria japonica
Pronunciation:
krip-toe-MEER-ee-uh juh-PON-ih-kuh
Common Name:
Japanese cedar
Family Name:
Cupressaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Leaves spirally arranged in 5 ranks, spreading or pointed forward, subulate to linear, with needle-like awls, (0.4-)0.7-1.4(-2)cm long x 0.8-1.2mm wide; grey-green to bronze in winter; pollen cones usually crowded into a terminal, sessile, oblong raceme of 6-35, ovoid or ovoid-ellipsoid, (2-)2.5-5(-8) x (1.3-)2-3(-4)mm, plum red turning yellow when mature; seed cones in groups of 1-6, terminal, nodding, sessile, globose or subglobose, 0.9-1.6(-2.5) x 1-2(-2.5)cm; cone scales 20-30, ripen brown in the first year and persist 1-2 years longer; seeds 2-5 per scale, brown or dark brown, 4-6.5 x 2-3.5mm with wings 0.2-0.25mm wide; seedlings with (2-)3(-4) linear cotyledons up to 2cm long. Conifers.org
Habit:
Dense
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
5 - 7m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Sheltered
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Fall interest, Rock garden, Sheared hedge, Small garden/space
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include
C. 'Cristata',
C. 'Elegans' , and
C. 'Vilmoriniana' (see separate entries). Also,
C. 'Compressa' (dwarf),
C. `Tenzan` (very small dwarf), and
C. 'Jindai' or others from the
Araucarioides group.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Needle-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Bronze
Shapes:
Acicular, Falcate, Linear
Apices:
Aristate
Bases:
Decurrent
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
turn purplish in the Fall
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Green, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Jan, Feb
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Persistent, Spherical cones at shoot ends
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating, Stringy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Red, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (AGB) Acer Griseum Bed : dwarf cvs. Compressa, Tenzan
- (GAZ) GAZebo
- (GAZW) GAZebo West : q.1 cv. Vilmoriniana
- (ONW) Overpass North side West : cv. Cristata
- (SGL) Sendell Gardens, Langley : cv. Cristata
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : cv. Cristata