Cryptomeria seed

LATIN NAME: CRYPTOMERIA JAPONICA

COMMON NAME: Japanese Cedar

The Japanese cedar cones the tall, conical, evergreen tree with the soft, short, blue-green needles that spiral around the drooping branch tips and the small, round, brown cones that ripen through the autumn, the bark peeling in the long, reddish-brown strips. The tree grows into the stately, columnar form, and it keeps the green through the year. It stands the cold and the wet weather well, and it likes the sun, and the deep, moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the cypress family, the sugi has a long, straight record in the studies of the plantation timber trees, and the japonica species appears in the research on the wet, cool-forest growth and the wood properties. The foresters value the straight, durable timber, while the horticulturists note the soft, blue-green foliage. The seed biology fills out the picture, and the growers of the tall evergreen trees keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the cool garden and the woodland, the Japanese cedar cones the autumn with the round brown fruits. The soft, blue-green needles keep the stately, columnar form through the year, the peeling bark sheds in the reddish strips, and the wood serves the construction, the cladding and the joinery for the ages. It thrives in the deep, moist, well-drained ground. Tall, evergreen and timber-durable.

To grow the Japanese Cedar from seed,

Scatter the seeds over the light, gritty surface of the seed tray, then press them in gently, keep the tray in the bright, cool spot and mist lightly

Keep the tray bright and gently misted, and pot the seedlings on as they grow. The conical form comes over the years.

. The seedlings rise within a few weeks, and they grow on steadily. Settle the young trees in the deep, moist, well-drained ground, and the conical form will rise over the years.

Japanese Red Cedar, Cryptomeria japonica, Tree Seeds
Evergreen, Fast Growth, Bonsai, Christmas Tree, Moist Soils
Japanese Red Cedar is a tall, cone shaped evergreen with bluish green foliage and a massive trunk with thick reddish brown bark that shreds and peels in long strips. This is a fast growing tree that, in its native habitat, can get more than 180 feet tall with a trunk diameter exceeding 12 feet. Ornamental specimens are rarely more than 60 feet tall. The branches are arranged in horizontal tiers, ascending at first, then drooping near their ends. The flattened, wedge-shaped leaves are about 1/2 inch long and point forward, while their bases clasp the twigs. The leaves are overlapping and crowded in 5 ranks that spiral around and completely cloak the twigs. Male and female cones, 1 inch or less in length, are on the same tree. Two varieties are recognized: var. japonica has a dense habit and thick, spreading branches; var. sinensis has a looser habit and slender, drooping branches.
Cryptomeria japonica is the only species in its genus and Cryptomeria is one of only 10 genera in the ancient family, Taxodiaceae, which once shared the landscape with the dinosaurs. Today these strange and wonderful trees (only 18 species in the whole family) occur nowhere but eastern Asia, North America and Tasmania. Some well known species in the Taxodiaceae are the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostrobiodes), California Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichus).
Common Names: Lobbii Japanese Red cedar, Japanese Cedar, Peacock Pine, Sugi, Goddess of Mercy Cedar,
Culture: Japanese Red Cedar is one of very few conifers that will coppice, (sprout back from cut stumps). You can regenerate an old specimen by cutting back the trunk to 2 to 3 feet above ground, then selecting which sprout(s) to keep and which to cut.

Uses: Bonsai, Christmas Tree. The stately Japanese Red Cedar makes an imposing specimen. Use them in a group to create a visual screen or windbreak. Japanese Red Cedars are often planted along avenues.