| Pilgerodendron | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Subfamily: | Callitroideae |
| Genus: | Pilgerodendron Florin |
| Species: | P. uviferum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pilgerodendron uviferum (D.Don) Florin | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Pilgerodendron is agenus ofconifer belonging to the cypress familyCupressaceae.[3] It has only onespecies,Pilgerodendron uviferum, which isendemic to theValdivian temperate rain forests andMagellanic subpolar forests of southernChile and southwesternArgentina. It grows from 40 to 54°20' S inTierra del Fuego, where it is the southernmost conifer in the world.[4][5] It is a member of subfamilyCallitroideae, a group of distinctSouthern Hemisphere genera associated with theAntarctic flora.[6][7]
Pilgerodendron is very closely related to theNew Zealand andNew Caledonian genusLibocedrus, and many botanists treatP. uviferum within this genus, asLibocedrus uvifera (D.Don) Pilg.[8] It is also ataxonomical synonym forLibocedrus tetragona (Hooker).[9] The species is known locally asciprés de las Guaitecas[10] (after theGuaitecas Archipelago), and elsewhere by its scientific name, aspilgerodendron. The genus is named afterRobert Knud Friedrich Pilger.[6]
P. uviferum is adioecious, slow-growing, narrowly conicalevergreentree that grows from 2–20 m in height, with a trunk up to 1.5 m in diameter. Taller specimens and wider trunks (reportedly up to 3 m in diameter) are known to have existed before it was overexploited. Theleaves are scale-like and arranged indecussate pairs, with each leaf equal in size, giving theshoots a square cross-section (unlike theLibocedrus species, where pairs of larger leaves alternate with pairs of smaller leaves, giving a somewhat flattened shoot). Theseed cones are 5–12 mm long and 4–6 mm broad, with four scales, two sterile basal scales and two fertile scales; each scale has a slender spine-likebract, and each fertile scale has two wingedseeds 3–4 mm long. The pollen cones are 5–10 mm long and 2 mm broad, with 12–20 scales.[6][7]
It is found in the evergreen coastal lowland forests along thePacific coast of southernPatagonia, in association with the broadleaf evergreensNothofagus betuloides andDrimys winteri. It is also found in open stands in shelteredbogs farther inland, where it is often locally dominant, and ranges as far as the eastern slopes of theAndes in southwestern Argentina.[6][verification needed] Forest dominated byPilgerodendron are known ascipresales.[11] The forests are common in the southern half ofChiloé Island where occupy many of flattish areas.[11] At the northern end of its range it is found in association withFitzroya cupressoides.[6] The northernmost natural stands are found in 39°50' in the vicinity of the city ofValdivia.[4] The conservation status ofP. uviferu, in the far north of its natural distribution is poor, being fragmented byexotic plantations, threatened by livestock and having been decimated by lumberjacks and wildfires in the past.[4] It has also been planted along the northern part of the Pacific Coast of theUnited States.[12]
At present muchPilgerodendron uviferum grow in the Andes and in theChilean Coast Range. However, during theinterstadials of the region'slast glacial period,P. uviferum grew in lowland areas such as theCentral Valley, where it is now absent.[13] Remaining lowland populations are thought to berelicts that have survived the warmer climate of theHolocene.[13]
Thewood ofP. uviferum is yellow-reddish and has a distinct spicy-resinous smell, and is highly resistant to decay, which has made it very valuable as a source oftimber for building construction in its native range. Much of its original lowland habitat has been cleared for this and other reasons.[6][14] Due toover-exploitation, the species is now much scarcer than formerly, and is accordingly listed underCITES Appendix I, meaning commercial international trade is prohibited.[2]P. uviferum is considered threatened by theWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre andvulnerable by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature.
Indigenous sea-faring nomads of theChono andKawésqars groups usedPilgerodendron uviferum as firewood as well as wood for oars, boats and houses.[15] During theAntonio de Vea expedition (1675–1676) Spanish explorers visited theGuaitecas andChonos archipelagoes where the tree grew noticing the similarity to the "cypresses of Spain".[16]
Historically the wood was used to makerailway sleepers, but eventually became popular for use as timber in all types of construction. In the 1860s,Felipe Westhoff was one of various businessmen who exportedPilgerodendron uviferum north to Chilean and Peruvian ports.[17] Westhoff, who was based inAncud, came initially as an agent ofFerrocarril Central Andino in Peru to purchase sleepers but soon became an independent businessman.[17][18]
The town ofMelinka was established in 1860 during thePilgerodendron boom. This was the first permanent settlement in the Guaitecas Archipelago.[17] After Westhoff's retirement in the 1870s,Ciriaco Álvarez, a native ofChonchi, rose as the most prominentP. uviferum businessman in the area, and was dubbed "The King of Pilgerodendron" (Spanish:El Rey del Ciprés).[17] Many of the wooden structures in settlements of the southern Chilean archipelagos are built largely fromP. uviferum wood.
Foraging bysouthern pudu is thought to be detrimental for the regeneration of burned forests ofPilgerodendron uviferum.[19]
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