Cryptomeria japonica D.Don

English: Japanese cedar

German: Sichel-Tanne

Mandarin: 日本柳杉 (ri ben liu shan)

Portuguese: Criptoméria, Falso-cedro-do-Japão

Kingdom: Plantae (2659)

  Phylum: Pinophyta (22)

    Class: Pinopsida (36)

      Order: Pinales (35)

        Family: Taxodiaceae (2)

          Genus: Cryptomeria (1)

            Epithet: japonica D.Don (6)

Synonyms: Cryptomeria araucarioides Henkel & W.Hochst., Cryptomeria compacta Beissn., Cryptomeria elegans Jacob-Makoy, Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibr. ex Billain, Cryptomeria generalis E.H.L.Krause, Cryptomeria kawaii Hayata, Cryptomeria lobbiana Billain, Cryptomeria lobbii (Carrière) Lavallée, Cryptomeria mairei (H.Lév.) Nakai, Cryptomeria mucronata Beissn., Cryptomeria nana Lindl. & Gordon, Cryptomeria nigricans Carrière, Cryptomeria pungens Beissn., Cryptomeria variegata Beissn., Cryptomeria viridis Beissn., Cupressus japonica Thunb. ex L.f., Cupressus mairei H.Lév., Schubertia japonica (Thunb. ex L.f.) Jacques, Taxodium japonicum (Thunb. ex L.f.) Brongn.

compacta => compact, close together

elegans => graceful, neat, nice

fortunei => named after Robert Fortune (1813-1880), Scottish horticulturist and palm collector in China

generalis => normal, prevailing, usual

japonica => from Japan

japonicum => from Japan

mucronata => terminating, an organ with a straight, stiff and sharp point

nana => dwarf

nigricans => turning black, become blackish

pungens => piercing, as the points of the holly-leaf

variegata => irregularly coloured, in stripes or patches

viridis => green in color

Climate: temperate

Habitat: mesophytic

Habit: tree

Check for Cryptomeria japonica at

World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI

• [148] Cryptomeria japonica - Gymnosperm Database
• [516] Cryptomeria japonica - Plants For A Future database