Editing Calocedrus

{{Taxobox

|name=Incense-cedar

| image_caption = ''Calocedrus decurrens''<br>California incense cedar

| regnum = [[Plant]]ae

| divisio = [[Pinophyta]]

| classis = [[Pinophyta|Pinopsida]]

| ordo = [[Pinales]]

| familia = [[Cupressaceae]]

| genus = '''''Calocedrus'''''

| genus_authority = [[Wilhelm Sulpiz Kurz|Kurz]]

| synonyms_ref=<ref name=c/>

|synonyms=''Heyderia'' <small>K.Koch, illegitimate homonym</small>

[[File:Incense Cedar in Lassen VNP.jpg|200px|left|thumb|California incense cedar, in [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]].]]

'''''Calocedrus''''' (common name '''incense cedar''') is a [[genus]] of [[conifer]]ous [[tree]]s in the cypress family [[Cupressaceae]] first described as a genus in 1873.<ref>[http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34838059#page/202/mode/1up Kurz, Wilhelm Sulpiz. 1873. Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 11: 196]</ref><ref>[http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40035335 Tropicos, ''Calocedrus'' Kurz ]</ref> It is native to eastern Asia and western North America.<ref name=c>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=382423 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Calocedrus'' ]</ref>

The generic name means "beautiful cedar".

The genus is related to the genus ''[[Thuja]]'', and has similar overlapping scale-leaves. ''Calocedrus'' differs from ''Thuja'' in the scale leaves being in apparent whorls of four (actually opposite decussate pairs like ''Thuja'', but not evenly spaced apart as in ''Thuja'', instead with the successive pairs closely then distantly spaced), and in the [[conifer cone|cones]] having just 2–3 pairs of moderately thin, erect scales, rather than 4–6 pairs of very thin scales in ''Thuja''.

[[Image:Calocedrus decurrens 7976.jpg|thumb|right|''C. decurrens'' foliage and male cones]]

==Species==

===Calocedrus decurrens===

''[[Calocedrus decurrens]]'', California incense cedar (syn. ''Libocedrus decurrens''), is native to western [[North America]], with the bulk of the range in the [[United States]], from [[King County, Washington|King County]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington]], through central western [[Oregon]] and most of [[California]] as well as [[Washoe County, Nevada|Washoe County]] the extreme west of [[Nevada]], and also a short distance into northwest [[Mexico]] in northern [[Baja California (state)|Baja California]].<ref>[http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Calocedrus%20decurrens.png Biota of North America 2013 county distribution map, ''Calocedrus decurrens'']</ref> 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&nbsp;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. This tree is the preferred host of a [[wood wasp]], ''[[Anaxyelidae|Syntexis libocedrii]]'' which lays its eggs in the smoldering wood immediately after a forest fire. The epithet ''decurrens'' is the present participle of dēcurrō, meaning running or flowing down.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Chase| first1 = J. Smeaton| authorlink1 = J. Smeaton Chase| title = Cone-bearing Trees of the California Mountains | location = Chicago | publisher = [[A. C. McClurg & Co.]] | pages = 99 | month = | isbn = |year=1911 | oclc = 3477527|lccn=11004975|quote=}} {{LCC|QK495.C75 C4}}, with illustrations by [[Carl Eytel]] - [http://www.cslfdn.org/pdf/bulletin-95.pdf Kurut, Gary F. (2009), "Carl Eytel: Southern California Desert Artist", ''California State Library Foundation'', Bulletin No. 95, pp. 17-20] retrieved Nov. 13, 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500299 Flora of North America, Vol. 2, Incense-cedar, cedro incienso, ''Calocedrus decurrens'' (Torrey) Florin, Taxon. 5: 192. 1956. ]</ref><ref>[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CADE27 USDA Plants Profile: ''Calocedrus decurrens'']</ref><ref>CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City</ref><ref>Cronquist, A.J., A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren & Reveal. 1972. Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. 1: 1–271. In A.J. Cronquist, A. H. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren, J. L. Reveal & P. K. Holmgren (eds.) Intermountain Flora. Hafner Pub. Co., New York</ref>

===Calocedrus formosana===

''[[Calocedrus formosana]]'', Taiwan incense cedar, is [[endemic]] to [[Taiwan]]. It is very similar to ''C. 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&nbsp;cm long, carried on a 1–1.5&nbsp;cm stem.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005407 Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 65 <big>台湾翠柏</big> tai wan cui bai ''Calocedrus macrolepis'' var. ''formosana'' (Florin) W. C. Cheng & L. K. Fu, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 7: 327. 1978. ]</ref>

===Calocedrus huashanensis===

{{extinct}}''[[Calocedrus huashanensis]]'' is an [[extinct]] species which was described in 2012. It is known from [[compression fossil]]s found in the [[Oligocene]] age [[Ningming]] Formation of southern China. ''Calocedrus huashanensis'' is known from branches and leaves.

===Calocedrus macrolepis===

''[[Calocedrus macrolepis]]'', Chinese incense cedar, is native to southwest [[China]] from [[Guangdong]] west to [[Yunnan]], and also in northern [[Vietnam]], northern [[Laos]], extreme northern [[Thailand]] and northeastern [[Myanmar]] (Burma). It is also a medium-size tree to 25–30 m tall, and like ''C. formosana'', is rare in the wild. The leaves and cones are similar to ''C. formosana'', differing most obviously in the shorter cone stem, only 0.5&nbsp;cm long.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005406 Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 65 <big>翠柏</big> cui bai ''Calocedrus macrolepis'' Kurz, J. Bot. 11: 196. 1873. ]</ref>

===Calocedrus rupestris===

''[[Calocedrus rupestris]]'', the most recently discovered living species of ''Calocedrus'', was identified in Vietnam and 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 the [[China|Chinese]] and [[Laos|Laotian]] 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".<ref>Averyanov, H.T. Nguyen & L.K. Phan. Issues of Basic Research in Life Sciences with direction in upland agriculture and forestry. Proceedings, the 2004th [sic] National Conference on Life Sciences Thai Nguyen University, September 23, 2004 41–43, 1.</ref><ref>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=381482 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Calocedrus rupestris'' ]</ref>

Incense cedar was the preferred [[Bow drill|hearth board]] of the Native Peoples of [[Northern California]] for [[Firelighting|lighting fires]] by friction .

''Calocedrus decurrens'', the California incense cedar, is a popular [[ornamental tree]], grown particularly in locations with cool summer climates like [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[British 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 its [[drought]] tolerance. The Asian species are rarely cultivated.<ref>Munz, P. A. 1974. Flora of Southern California 1–1086. University of California Press, Berkeley. </ref>

{{reflist}}

*[http://www.pinetum.org/cones/CUcones.htm Arboretum de Villardebelle - cone photos]

*[http://www.conifers.org/cu/calo/index.htm Gymnosperm Database: ''Calocedrus'']

[[Category:Trees of the Western United States]]

[[Category:Trees of the Northwestern United States]]

[[Category:Trees of the Southwestern United States]]

[[Category:Trees of the Northwestern United States]]

[[Category:Trees of Washington (state)]]

[[Category:Trees of the Southwestern United States]]

[[Category:Flora of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)]]