Is Thuja a Gymnosperm? Thuja. Thuja (/ˈθjuːd??/ THEW-j?) is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress
Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera, which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs up to 116 m tall. The …
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern subregion of Asia, defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region includes China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan. People indigenous to the region are called East Asians. China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam belon…
What kind of plant is Thuja?
Thuja is a monophyletic genus that sits within the order Pinales in the Cupressaceae. Thuja is in the Cupressoid clade and is sister to the genus Thujopsis.
What is the closest relative of Thuja?
The closest relatives of Thuja are Thujopsis dolabrata, distinct in its thicker foliage and stouter cones, and Tetraclinis articulata ( Ancient Greek θυία or θύα, formerly classed in the genus and after which Thuja is named), distinct in its quadrangular foliage (not flattened) and cones with four thick, woody scales.
How many cotyledons does Thuja produce?
Seedlings produce 2 cotyledons. A hybrid between T. standishi and T. plicata has been named as the cultivar Thuja 'Green Giant'. Another very distinct and only distantly related species, formerly treated as Thuja orientalis, is now treated in a genus of its own, as Platycladus orientalis.
What is Thuja plicata used for?
Thuja poles are also often used to make fence posts and rails. The wood of Thuja plicata is commonly used for guitar sound boards. Its combination of light weight and resistance to decay has also led to T. plicata (western redcedar) being widely used for the construction of bee hives.
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Is Thuja an angiosperm?
Thuja (/ˈθjuːdʒə/ THEW-jə) is a genus of coniferous trees or shrubs in the Cupressaceae (cypress family)....ThujaKingdom:PlantaeClade:Tracheophytes(unranked):GymnospermsDivision:Pinophyta10 more rows
Is Thuja occidentalis angiosperm or gymnosperm?
gymnospermThuja occidentalis (White Cedar) a gymnosperm (coniferous) AM tree (scale bars = 50 μm).
What type of tree is a Thuja?
evergreen treesArborvitae or Thuja trees are low maintenance, versatile, evergreen trees that range from small to large in size. Arborvitaes have reddish-brown bark and their soft, delicate scale-like leaves are arranged into fan shaped branchlets. This group of evergreens are mildly aromatic and soft to the touch.
Is arborvitae a Gymnosperm?
The most abundant gymnosperms in our area are the conifers. Conifers are the common evergreen trees and shrubs such as pine, juniper, spruce, and arborvitae. Gymnosperms are ancient plants, yet still remain abundant.
What family is Thuja?
CupressaceaeThuja / FamilyCupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera, which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs up to 116 m tall. Wikipedia
What is Thuja made of?
Thuja is a tree. The leaves and leaf oil are used as a medicine. Thuja is used for respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis, bacterial skin infections, and cold sores. It is also used for painful conditions including osteoarthritis and a nerve disorder that affects the face called trigeminal neuralgia.
How do you identify Thuja?
Thuja – Branches are flattened in one plane. Juvenile leaves are awl-like, while mature leaves are scale-like; leaves are always opposite. Scale-like leaves sometimes have a raised gland on the back.
What type of tree is Thuja Green Giant?
evergreenGreen Giant ArborvitaeThuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant' The green giant arborvitae is a large, vigorous, fast-growing evergreen—shooting up by as much as 3 feet per year until maturity. Its natural pyramidal to conical form boasts dense, rich green foliage that darkens or bronzes slightly in the winter.
What is the genus of Thuja occidentalis?
ThujaArborvitae / Genus
Are shrubs gymnosperms?
While angiosperms have an enormous variety of body types and forms, ranging from annual herbs to climbing vines to massive trees, gymnosperms are largely woody trees and shrubs. Gnetum is the only gymnosperm genus with climbing vines. As vascular plants, both groups contain xylem and phloem.
Which plant specimens are gymnosperms?
Gymnosperms are vascular plants of the subkingdom Embyophyta and include conifers, cycads, ginkgoes, and gnetophytes. Some of the most recognizable examples of these woody shrubs and trees include pines, spruces, firs, and ginkgoes.
How many gymnosperms are there?
1000 speciesThere are around 1000 species of gymnosperm. You can also browse genera found in Gymnosperms.
What is the structure of a pinus tree?
Vegetative Structure: The Pinus tree shows a single stout, cylindrical stem covered by a scaly bark and regular lateral branches of unlimited growth termed as “long shoots”. From the long shoot young branches of limited growth develop. These are termed as “dwarf shoots”.
What are the layers of the leaf of Cycas?
Leaf Anatomy: In T.S. through the leaf of Cycas, the following layers are noted: Two layers of cuticularised epidermis, of which the lower epidermis has sunken stomata; both pallisade and spongy mesophyll cells; transfusion tissue and conjoint, collateral, closed vascular bundle surrounded by bundle sheath. (Fig 7.1).
Is Cupressus a tree?
Cupressus is an evergreen tree species with finely divided branchlet systems arising at various angles. The leaves are persistent, small, scale-like, adpressed; mostly in opposite pairs. Anatomically stem is identical with Pinus sp., wood is light yellow to brownish, there are conspicuous medullary rays, and resin canals in the wood.
Is a megasporophyll a cone?
It is lax, not compact cone like. The megasporophyll is a leaf like flattened structure (15 – 30 cm long) and it bears megaspores (1 to 5 pairs) laterally. Both sporophylls and ovules are covered by yellowish hairs. The megasporophylls arise at the tip of the plant acropetally forming a loose crown. ADVERTISEMENTS:
Why is arborvitae called arborvitae?
The common name arborvitae is Latin for "tree of life" (17th cent.) because resins of these trees were used medicinally in western Europe. Effects include increasing blood pressure and reducing fever. The wood is reddish, light, and durable. Some of the larger species are valuable timber trees.
Is Thuja plicata a tree?
The smaller species are cultivated in gardens and as wind screens for more tender plants. Thuja plicata is extraordinarily significant to native peoples in its home range. The other species are less so.
Overview
Thuja is a genus of coniferous trees or shrubs in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to Thujopsis. Members are commonly known as arborvitaes (from the Latin term for 'tree of life'), thujas or cedars.
Description
Thuja are evergreen trees growing from 10 to 200 feet (3 to 61 metres) tall, with stringy-textured reddish-brown bark. The shoots are flat, with side shoots only in a single plane. The leaves are scale-like 1–10 mm long, except young seedlings in their first year, which have needle-like leaves. The scale leaves are arranged in alternating decussate pairs in four rows along the twigs. The male cones are s…
Species
The five extant species are:
Species formerly placed in Thuja include:
• Austrocedrus chilensis (D.Don) Pic.Serm. & Bizzarri (as T. chilensis D.Don)
• Callitris rhomboidea R.Br. ex Rich. (as T. australis Poir.)
Ecology
Thuja species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including autumnal moth, the engrailed and juniper pug. The foliage is also readily eaten by deer, and where deer population density is high, can adversely affect the growth of young trees and the establishment of seedlings.
Distribution
The genus Thuja has current populations in both North America and East Asia. T. plicata has wide distribution in the Pacific Northwest from Northern California to Alaska, reaching East into Idaho and central British Columbia. T. occidentalis has populations in the Northeastern United States, reaching north into Ontario and Quebec, with some distribution as far south as Tennessee.
T. standishii has populations in mountainous regions of Honshu and Shikoku islands in Japan, …
Genus Origin and Historical Migration
Current research suggests that Thuja originated in the Americas and migrated to East Asia via the Bering Landbridge in the Miocene. Fossil records show that Thuja was significantly more widely distributed during the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary than we see today. The oldest known Thuja fossil is of T. polaris (an extinct species) from the Paleocene of Ellesmere Island in present-day Nunavut, Canada.
Systematics
Thuja is a monophyletic genus that sits within the order Pinales in the Cupressaceae. Thuja is in the Cupressoid clade and is sister to the genus Thujopsis. The sister relationship between Thuja and Thujopsis is supported with 100% bootstrap support and 1.0 posterior probability.
Within the genus the taxonomy is in flux, but most recent research based on molecular analysis of plastomes in the genus Thuja showed evidence for a new grouping, with two sister clades: T. st…
Uses of thuja
They are widely grown as ornamental trees, and extensively used for hedges. A number of cultivars are grown and used in landscapes. Homeowners will sometimes plant them as privacy trees. The cultivar 'Green Giant' is popular as a very vigorous hedging plant, growing up to 80 cm/year when young.
The wood is light, soft and aromatic. It can be easily split and resists decay. The wood has been …
Taxonomic Notes
Description
- Evergreen, monoecious trees or shrubs. Branchlets in fan-shaped, flattened sprays. Leaves 4-ranked, scalelike, base decurrent only on leading branchlets, dimorphic along branchlets: facial pairs obovate-rhombic; lateral pairs boat-shaped, ridged abaxially, less than 4 mm, overlapping facial pairs, without conspicuous, white stomatal bands abaxially. Pollen cones with (4-)6-10(-16…
Oldest
- Few or no data exist for the three Asian species. Of the two North American species, Thuja occidentalis has the greater demonstrated age at 1653 years, but Thuja plicataalmost certainly attains much greater ages, likely 2000 to 3000 years. All of the largest trees, however, have lost most of their tree-ring record to severe heartwood decay.
Dendrochronology
- Considerable work has been done with Thuja plicata and Thuja occidentalis, and Thuja standishiihas been investigated as well. See the species accounts for details.
Ethnobotany
- The common name arborvitae is Latin for "tree of life" (17th cent.) because resins of these trees were used medicinally in western Europe. Effects include increasing blood pressure and reducing fever. The wood is reddish, light, and durable. Some of the larger species are valuable timber trees. The smaller species are cultivated in gardens and as wind screens for more tender plants…
Citations
- Xiang Qiaoping, Farjon, Aljos, Li Zhenyu, Fu Likuo and Liu Zhengyu. 2002. Thuja sutchuenensis: a rediscovered species of the Cupressaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society 139(3):305-310. LINK (accessed 2012.10.20). ABSTRACT: After more than a century, the only conifer species listed as being extinct in the wild (EW) by IUCN-SSC has been rediscovered in the Dabashan Mou…