Juniperus lutchuensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Juniperus lutchuensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Genus: | Juniperus |
| Section: | Juniperus sect. Juniperus |
| Species: | J. lutchuensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Juniperus lutchuensis | |
| Synonyms | |
Juniperus lutchuensis or Ryūkyū juniper (オキナワハイネズ, Okinawa-hainezu) (syn. Juniperus taxifolia var. lutchuensis (Koidz.) Satake) is a species of juniper native to the Ryūkyū Islands, Izu Islands, Izu Peninsula, and Bōsō Peninsula, Japan.[3][4][5]
Juniperus lutchuensis was first described by Gen'ichi Koidzumi in 1918, with Okinawa Island the type locality.[1]: 138 In 1962, Satake Yoshisuke treated it as a variety of Juniperus taxifolia.[2] Some authors[6] treat it as a synonym of Juniperus taxifolia from the Bonin Islands, while others treat it as a variety of it, Juniperus taxifolia var. lutchuensis. It is probably best considered a separate species as it has a distinct DNA profile clearly different from J. taxifolia.[3]
Description
Juniperus lutchuensis is an evergreen coniferous shrub growing to a height of 1–3 metres (3+1⁄2–10 ft). Its many branches may spread some 2–4 metres (6+1⁄2–13 ft).[5] The leaves are needle-like, in whorls of three, light green, 7–14 millimetres (1⁄4–1⁄2 in) long and 1–1.5 mm broad, with a double white stomatal band (split by a green midrib) on the inner surface. It is dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
The seed cones are berry-like, green ripening in 18 months to purple-brown; they are spherical, 8–9 mm diameter, and have three or six fused scales in one or two whorls of three; the three larger scales each bear a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds eat the cones, digesting the fleshy scales and passing the hard seeds in their droppings. The pollen cones are yellow, 5 mm long.[3]
