Umbrella Pine
The Japanese umbrella-pine scientific names is Sciadopitys Verticillata The Japanese umbrella-pine is a unique tree from Japan. The tree is a member of the Sciadopityacease family. The name comes from the Greek prefix sciado, which means shadow and pitys meaning pine. The tree is very popular in gardens. The tree has a very slow growth rate usually taking around 100 years to grow from 25-40 feet tall. The tree spreads in width to about 15 feet. The tree grows in a pyramid shape and expands as it gets bigger. The tree gets its umbrella name because of how it looks when it is fully grown.
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Quick Facts About the Tree
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Bark: Reddish brown rough texture
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Community Surrounding the TreeThe Japanese umbrella pine has played a huge part in the prehistoric world and is a very sacred tree in Japanese history. In the Kyoto Prefecture, the Sciadopitys verticillata is known as the “official tree”. The tree plays a huge part as a symbol for many temples in Japan.
EthnobotanyJapanese umbrella pines are a native inhabitant to Japan where the tree may grow up to 90’ tall. The cultivation in the U.S. ,however does not produce the same height and trees range from 25-30’ tall. The tree was once included in the bald cypress family, but now the Japanese umbrella tree is considered to be in its own family. (Sciadopityaceae). The trees grow best in rich, moist climates and need well drained soils. The trees thrive in cool summer climates.
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Current Research
I was unable to find current research on the tree but I included some past information about the tree which is very informative. The Japanese umbrella pine is believed to be the only remaining species of its kind. There were known trees millions of years ago, which also shared the same umbrella like characteristics, but these were only known by fossil records. This species, was able to become native and survive in the climate of Japan. It is believed to be before the ice ages, that similar trees existed. The Japanese pine is the only known one currently today. Japanese pines are very abundant in places with acidic soils because of the fact that they drain well which is needed for these trees to thrive and grow to their full potential. The area between Osaka and Tokyo, Japan is a very highly forested area in which the trees thrive. The species is not very common outside of Japan because the climate is not as comparable anywhere else in the world. There are some Japanese pines in the U.S. but the tree is considered to be non-invasive due to its slow growth rate.
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Creative Writing
Japanese Umbrella Pine trees remind me of the symbol of power and how some objects are more powerful than others. The view of power may vary based on the person but there is a reason behind the thinking of the power. The power of a 90’ tree is similar to a building in our current culture like the empire state building. The pine tree is one of the tallest trees in nature while the skyscrapers in New York City are some of the tallest buildings that are current in the world.
The Japanese umbrella pine trees are one of the most sacred symbols in the Japanese cultures as the Empire state building in New York is very important to people in the U.S. because of the size and significance the building has, once being the tallest building in the world. The power that comes with the size of these symbols mean similar things for both cultures. I think that the reason the Japanese culture has the tree as an important symbol is because of the size of the tree. Even though they are two different cultures and areas of the world, the two large objects represent the power that the people believe in.
Trees like Umbrella Pines and buildings like the Empire State building are important to show the power that people like to believe in. Without power, people would not have a way to trust in their own nature and area of society.
The Japanese umbrella pine trees are one of the most sacred symbols in the Japanese cultures as the Empire state building in New York is very important to people in the U.S. because of the size and significance the building has, once being the tallest building in the world. The power that comes with the size of these symbols mean similar things for both cultures. I think that the reason the Japanese culture has the tree as an important symbol is because of the size of the tree. Even though they are two different cultures and areas of the world, the two large objects represent the power that the people believe in.
Trees like Umbrella Pines and buildings like the Empire State building are important to show the power that people like to believe in. Without power, people would not have a way to trust in their own nature and area of society.
References
ENH-745/ST587: Sciadopitys verticillata: Japanese Umbrella-Pine. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st587
Japanese Umbrella Pine, International Tree Tour, SUNY Orange. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.sunyorange.edu/inttreetour/sciadopitys_verticillata.shtml
Sciadopitys - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2013, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciadopitys
Sciadopitys verticillata - Plant Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a167
Sciadopitys verticillata - Plant Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a167
Retrieved from http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/scivera.pdf
Japanese Umbrella Pine, International Tree Tour, SUNY Orange. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.sunyorange.edu/inttreetour/sciadopitys_verticillata.shtml
Sciadopitys - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2013, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciadopitys
Sciadopitys verticillata - Plant Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a167
Sciadopitys verticillata - Plant Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a167
Retrieved from http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/scivera.pdf