| Incense-cedar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Calocedrus decurrens California incense cedar | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cupressoideae |
| Genus: | Calocedrus Kurz |
| Type species | |
| Calocedrus macrolepis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
HeyderiaK.Koch 1873 non Link 1833 | |
Calocedrus, theincense cedar (alternatively spelledincense-cedar), is agenus ofconiferoustrees in the cypress familyCupressaceae first described as a genus in 1873.[2][3] Three species are native toeastern Asia and one to westernNorth America.[1]
The genus is related toThuja, and has similar overlapping scale-leaves.Calocedrus differs fromThuja in the scale leaves being in apparent whorls of four (actually opposite decussate pairs likeThuja, but not evenly spaced apart as inThuja, instead with the successive pairs closely then distantly spaced), and in thecones having just 2–3 pairs of moderately thin, erect scales, rather than 4–6 pairs of very thin scales inThuja.
The generic nameCalocedrus means "beautiful cedar".
Cladogram showing the evolutionary relationships:
| Stull et al. 2021[4][5] | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Image | Name | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Calocedrus decurrens, California incense cedar (syn.Libocedrus decurrens) | It is a large tree, typically reaching heights of 40–60 m and a trunk diameter of up to 3 m (maxima, 69 m tall and 3.9 m diameter), and with a broad conic crown of spreading branches. The leaves are bright green on both sides of the shoots, and the cones 2–2.5 cm long. It is by far the most widely known species in the genus, and is often simply called "incense cedar" without the regional qualifier. | western North America |
 | Calocedrus formosana, Taiwan incense cedar | It is very similar toC. macrolepis, and some botanists treat it as a variety of that,C. macrolepis var.formosana. It is a medium-sized tree, growing to 25–30 m tall, and is rare in the wild, occurring only as scattered trees in mixed forests. The leaves are glaucous green on the upper side of the shoots, and conspicuously marked with bright white stomatal patches on the underside. The cones are 1.5–2 cm long, carried on a 1–1.5 cm stem.[6] | Taiwan |
 | Calocedrus macrolepis, Chinese incense cedar | It is also a medium-size tree to 25–30 m tall, and likeC. formosana, is rare in the wild. The leaves and cones are similar toC. formosana, differing most obviously in the shorter cone stem, only 0.5 cm long.[7] | southwestChina (fromGuangdong west toYunnan), and also in northernVietnam, northernLaos, extreme northernThailand and northeasternMyanmar |
| Calocedrus rupestris | The most recently discovered living species ofCalocedrus, first described in 2004. It occurs exclusively on rocky limestone (karst) terrain, a habitat that has a very high level of endemism. The close proximity of these populations to theChinese andLaotian borders indicates that the species may occur in those countries as well. It is an evergreen, monoecious tree up to 25 m tall with a broadly rounded crown. The epithet "rupestris" means "rock-dwelling".[8][9] | Vietnam |
| Name | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| †Calocedrus huashanensis | Described in 2012. It is known fromcompression fossils found in theOligocene ageNingming Formation of southern China.Calocedrus huashanensis is known from branches and leaves. | southern China |
| †Calocedrus suleticensis | known fromfossils found in theEarly Oligocene ofProbostov (Holy Kluk Hill) in the volcanic complex of the Ceske stredohori Mts.,Bohemia.Calocedrus suleticensis is known from a cone. | Czech Republic |
Incense cedar was one of the favored varieties of wood used to make bows by Native Americans in California. Likejuniper, andPacific yew, the other two coveted bow woods among Pacific Natives, this wood has excellent flexibility and compression strength-weight ratio. When backed with sinew, it produces extremely flexible, fast, hard-hitting bows, which are rivaled only by horn-sinew composite bows for their ability to store and release elastic energy. The archer Saxton Pope observed thatIshi used this wood to produce short bows.[10]
Thewood ofCalocedrus is soft, moderately decay-resistant, and with a strong spicy-resinous fragrance. That ofC. decurrens is the primary material for woodenpencils, because it is soft and tends to sharpen easily without forming splinters. The two Asian species were (at least in the past) in very high demand forcoffin manufacture in China, due to the scent of the wood and its decay resistance. It is likely that pastover-exploitation is responsible for their current rarity.
Incense cedar was the preferredhearth board of the Native Peoples ofNorthern California forlighting fires by friction.
Calocedrus decurrens, the California incense cedar, is a popularornamental tree, grown particularly in locations with cool summer climates likeBritain,Washington andBritish Columbia. Its very narrow columnar crown in landscape settings, an unexplained consequence of the climatic conditions in these areas, is not shown by trees in their native 'wild'habitat. The California incense cedar is also valued for itsdrought tolerance. The Asian species are rarely cultivated.[11]
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