Friday 15 January 2016

FRIDAY GREENS #55 - CYPRESS

Welcome to this meme active every Friday. The theme is "Friday Greens" and you can post images, art, photos where the predominant colour is GREEN!
GREEN is the colour between blue and yellow in the spectrum; coloured like grass or emeralds.

Platycladus is a distinct genus of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Platycladus orientalis, also known as Oriental arborvitae, Chinese arborvitae, biota or oriental thuja. It is native to northwestern China, Korea, and the Russian Far East (Amur + Khabarovsk). It is also now naturalised as an introduced species elsewhere in Asia: Eastward to Japan; southward to northern India; and westward to northern Iran.

In older texts, Platycladus was often included in the genus Thuja, which is reflected in one of its common names, "oriental thuja". But it is only distantly related to the genus Thuja. Differences include its distinct cones, wingless seeds, and its almost scentless foliage.

The generic Platycladus means "with broad or flattened shoots". The qualifier orientalis refers to its native habitat in China. The common name 'arborvitae' is from Latin, 'tree of life', and is based on its association with long life and vitality in Buddhist thought in China. This is probably based on the tree's unchanging evergreen nature in the cold dry climate of northwest China, and its longevity; some of the larger specimens planted around Buddhist temples in China are said to be in excess of 1,000 years old. It is called ce bai (側柏) in Chinese.

It is used as an ornamental tree, both in its homeland, where it is associated with long life and vitality, and very widely elsewhere in temperate climates. Several cultivars have been selected, of which 'Aurea nana' and 'Elegantissima' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The wood is used in Buddhist temples, both for construction work, and chipped, for incense burning.
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4 comments:

  1. Thougt a kind of ETs coming via desktop! What is thaaaat?
    Herzlich Pippa - and as every week you are welcome to http://pippavier.blogspot.de/ with all your blogs, if you want!

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  2. Very interesting "flower" (is it considered a flower?) Didn't see this flower while in China...

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  3. What an intriguing plant. Somehow it reminds me of the sea...maybe the shape is starfish like.

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  4. Wonderful thuya; it is planted in gardens and not only, in here,( also, as an ornamental tree...) It looks great on the alleys, in parks and in private gardens, as well! Great pic!
    Greetings from january and many thanks for this wonderful place called Friday Greens!

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