Cryptomeria

Lore & Background

Cryptomeria japonica is a very large coniferous tree, reaching up to 60 m tall and 4 m in trunk diameter, with red-brown bark peeling in vertical strips. Its leaves are needle-like, arranged spirally, and its seed cones are globular with 20–40 scales. It is superficially similar to the giant sequoia but can be differentiated by longer leaves and smaller cones. Prior to 1916, the sylvics expert E.H. Wilson measured a sugi on Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, which stood 50 m tall and approximately 24.3 m in girth at breast height.

Reader's Guide

Cryptomeria japonica has been cultivated in China for so long that it is frequently thought to be native there, though genetic analysis of the famous population on Tianmu Mountain supports an introduced origin. Outside its native range, it was introduced to the Azores in the mid 19th century for wood production and is now the most cultivated species there, occupying over 12,698 hectares. The timber is fragrant, weather and insect resistant, soft, and low in density, used for staves, tubs, furniture, and construction. In Japan, the coppicing method of daisugi is sometimes used to harvest logs.

The tree is also widely planted as an ornamental, with numerous cultivars, and is commonly planted around temples and shrines. The Cedar Avenue of Nikkō, over 65 km long, was planted by a feudal lord to provide shade for visitors. The Jōmon Sugi on Yakushima is estimated to be between 2,170 and 7,200 years old. Cryptomeria pollen is a major cause of hay fever in Japan.