Pinaceae Abies veitchii var. sikokiana (Nakai) Kusaka
Etymology
Abies refers to ‘to rise’; indicating large trees.
veitchii refers to its discoverer John Gould Veitch.
sikokiana refers to the Island of Shikoku in Japan.
Colloquial Name
Shikoku fir
Description
These trees grow between 25 and 30 meters tall, with trunks up to 1 meter in diameter. The trunk is straight and cylindrical, supporting a narrow, pyramidal crown. Young trees have smooth, greenish-grey bark with noticeable resin blisters. As they mature, the lower part of the trunk becomes scaly and dark grey.
The main branches are relatively short and slender, spreading horizontally, with the upper ones angling slightly upward. Smaller branches grow in a similar pattern. The twigs are thin but firm, starting out green or light brown and turning yellowish-grey by the second year. They are smooth at first but later develop shallow grooves. Young twigs have a dense covering of fine yellowish hairs, which disappear over time, leaving the surface bare. Small, circular leaf scars remain where old leaves have fallen.
The buds are small, rounded, about 3 mm in size, and covered in resin. Their protective scales are triangular, with slightly ragged edges, and are reddish or purplish-brown. The leaves grow in a spiral pattern along the branches. The lower ones spread outward in two rows, while the upper leaves lean forward, covering the shoot. On cone-bearing branches, they angle slightly upward. The leaves range from 0.5 to 2 cm in length, sometimes reaching 0.8 cm, and are about 2 mm wide. They are long and narrow, either straight or slightly curved, with a groove running along the top. The upper surface is dark green, while the underside has two whitish bands. Tiny pores called stomata form two bands on the underside, separated by a raised midrib.
Pollen cones grow on the sides of branches, hanging downward from the leaf axils. They are 1 to 1.5 cm long, yellowish, with red pollen-producing structures. Seed cones grow upright along the branches, often clustered together. They are either on short stalks or almost stalkless, with an ellipsoid-cylindrical shape and a rounded or slightly bumpy tip. The cones range from 3 to 4 cm long and about 1.5 to 2 cm wide. When young, they are dark bluish-purple, though occasionally they may be green or olive-green. As they mature, they turn blackish-brown or brown. After the seeds are released, the central stalk remains as a narrow, purplish-brown, cone-shaped structure.
The seed scales are slightly curved, resembling a narrow kidney shape or a crescent moon. They measure about 0.8 to 1 cm in length and 1.4 to 1.6 cm in width at the middle of the cone. The surface is smooth, with a silvery layer of fine hairs on the parts exposed to the air. The upper edge is smooth and curves inward, while the base is attached to a short stalk. The bracts, small leaf-like structures beneath the seed scales, are heart-shaped at the tip, about 1 to 1.2 cm long. Only the cusps of the bracts extend beyond the seed scales, with their tips either straight or curving backward.
The seeds are wedge-shaped, about 5 to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide, and greyish-black with a slight greenish tint. Each seed has a broad, cuneate wing, about 3 mm long and 5 mm wide, which is the same color as the seed or a deep purplish-black. The wing helps the seed disperse in the wind.
Subordinate Taxa
There exist 2 subordinate taxa for Abies veitchii:
Distribution
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Habitat
The natural habitats for Abies veitchii var. sikokiana are temperate forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 2000 up to 2000 metres. There are no conifers associated with Abies veitchii var. sikokiana that are known of.
USDA Hardiness zone – 3
Abies veitchii var. sikokiana is hardy to USDA Zone 3 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -40C (-40F) to -34.4C (-30F).
Species Continuity
The population trend for Abies veitchii var. sikokiana is unknown. There are ongoing threats for Abies veitchii var. sikokiana and they are listed as follows:
IUCN Category – NT
According to the IUCN Red List, Abies veitchii var. sikokiana has been assigned the status of NT(Near Threatened). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species is not threatened, but is close to having this status.
Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Abies veitchii is Subsect. Medianae. The coordinate taxa for Abies veitchii are therefore:
Abies veitchii var. sikokiana is further placed under Abietoideae. Abies veitchii var. sikokiana is also placed under Pinaceae.
This map shows botanical records (points) for this taxon. By opening the map’s sidebar (collapsed by default) you can toggle visibility or change the basemap. By clicking on records, you reveal more information.
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