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Scientific name: Abies homolepis Siebold et Zuccarini 1842
Synonyms: Abies brachyphylla Maxim., Abies finhonnoskiana R.Neumann ex Parl., Abies harryana W.R.McNab, Abies tschonoskiana Regel, Picea brachyphylla (Maxim.) Gordon, Picea homolepis (Siebold & Zucc.) Carrière, Picea pinnosa Mast., Picea tschonofskiana (Regel) Mast., Pinus homolepis (Siebold & Zucc.) Antoine
Common names: Nikko fir, Urajiro-momi(Japanese)
Description
Tree to 30(-40) m tall, with trunk to 1(-1.5) m in diameter. Bark gray, becoming browner and flaky with age. Branchlets hairless and shiny, deeply grooved between the leaf bases. Buds 3-5 mm long, moderately to heavily resinous. Needles arranged to the sides of the twigs in several rows, 1-2.5(-3.5) cm long, shiny dark green above, the tips sharply forked on young trees, simply notched or blunt on older ones. Pollen cones 10-20 mm long, yellowish brown. Seed cones (7-)9-12 cm long, 3-4 cm across, dark purple when young, ripening purplish brown. Seed body 6-9 mm long, the wing about as long.
Central Honshu, Kii Peninsula, and Shikoku (Japan). Occasionally forming pure stands but more often mixed with numerous other montane forest conifers and fewer hardwoods in the elevational belt between Abies firma and Abies veitchii; (700-)1,000-1,800(-2,200) m. The climate is cool and humid.
Conservation Status
Red List Category & Criteria: Near Threatened
The fragmentation of the outlying populations with consequent reduction in population size and range in the recent past gives rise to the possibility of Abies homolepis becoming threatened in the future, especially if Japanese deer numbers continue to increase. Therefore the use of the Near Threatened category is justified. Near the tree limit it forms either pure stands, or mixtures with Abies veitchii and/or Larix kaempferi, but at lower elevations it occurs in the mixed coniferous deciduous forests, with e.g. Fagus crenata, Quercus crispula, Betula grossa, Tsuga diversifolia, Thuja standishii, Pinus densiflora. Abies firma replaces Abies homolepis below 1,100 m. It is fairly widely planted as an ornamental tree in Japan as well as in Europe, where it appears to be one of the least demanding species in the genus. A few cultivars are known in Japan as well as in Europe (independently derived), mostly being dwarfed forms suitable for Japanese gardens or rockeries. There is no special protection system for this species. However, most localities are now at least protected from logging.
References
Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.
