Tsuga dumosa
Encyclopedia
Tsuga dumosa, commonly called the Himalayan Hemlock or in Chinese, Yunnan Tieshan , is a species of conifer native to the eastern Himalayas
. It occurs in parts of India
, Burma, Vietnam
, Tibet
, and China
. Within its native range the tree is used for construction as well as for furniture. In Europe
and North America
, it is occasionally encountered as an ornamental species and was first brought to the United Kingdom
in 1838.
at breast height is typically 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in), but can be beyond 100 cm (40 in). The crown on small trees is ovoid and their form is like that of pendulous bushes. Older trees tend to have multiple stems from one or two sinuous bole
s, especially in cultivation. The crown of mature trees is broad, irregular-pyramidal and open. The bark
is a similar to that of an old larch
: somewhat pinkish to grey-brown and heavily ridged with broad, shallow, flaky fissures. The branch
es are oblique or horizontal. The twigs are reddish brown or greyish yellow in their first year and are pubescent, i.e. covered with short hairs. Branches that are 2 to 3 years old are greyish brown or dark grey with leaf scars. The wood
from the tree is a brownish yellow with a fine structure and straight veins.
The leaves
are spirally arranged, pointing forward on the branches and placed distantly from one another compared to other species in the genus Tsuga
. They are linear in shape, and 10 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 in) long by 2 to 2.5 mm (0.07 to 0.1 in) wide. The ends are obtuse or rounded, and very occasionally emarginate. The upper surface of the leaves is green and shiny, while the undersides have 2 wide silvery stomatal bands. The upper half of the leaves usually have small dents on the margins, i.e. the margins are rarely entire. The midrib is concave on the upper surface.
The stamenate flower
s are globose in shape, solitarily arranged and axillary. The anthers are a green-yellow in colour and they lack an air sac. The pistillate flowers are round-ovate in shape, also solitarily arranged, terminal and slightly down-curved. They have many spiral scales with 2 ovule
s contained within each scale. The seed
s are about 9 mm (0.4 in) long, ovate in shape, brown in colour and have thin wings in their upper parts. Flowering occurs from April to May and fruiting from October to November.
, it occurs from Uttarakhand
in the west to Arunachal Pradesh
in the east. The range continues southeast to northern Burma and Vietnam
, and northeast to southeastern Tibet
and into China
, where it occurs in northwestern Yunnan
and southwestern Sichuan
. In Vietnam it is only found at altitudes above 1500 m (5000 ft) on Hoang Lien Son Mountain. In that country it is usually mixed with Rhododendron
spp. and Abies pindrow, though it can sometimes form a pure stand. It is adapted to areas with a cold climate and high rainfall and high humidity.
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. It occurs in parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Burma, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Within its native range the tree is used for construction as well as for furniture. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, it is occasionally encountered as an ornamental species and was first brought to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1838.
Description
T. dumosa is a tree growing 20 to 25 metres (65 to 80 ft) high and exceptionally to 40 m (130 ft). The diameterDiameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
at breast height is typically 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in), but can be beyond 100 cm (40 in). The crown on small trees is ovoid and their form is like that of pendulous bushes. Older trees tend to have multiple stems from one or two sinuous bole
Bole
-Geographical locations:* Bole District, Ghana* Bole, Ghana, town* Bole, Nottinghamshire, England* Bole International Airport * Bole, Xinjiang, China-Other:* Bole2Harlem, an Ethiopian hip hop fusion band* Bole , a unit of momentum...
s, especially in cultivation. The crown of mature trees is broad, irregular-pyramidal and open. The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is a similar to that of an old larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
: somewhat pinkish to grey-brown and heavily ridged with broad, shallow, flaky fissures. The branch
Branch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...
es are oblique or horizontal. The twigs are reddish brown or greyish yellow in their first year and are pubescent, i.e. covered with short hairs. Branches that are 2 to 3 years old are greyish brown or dark grey with leaf scars. The wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
from the tree is a brownish yellow with a fine structure and straight veins.
The leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
are spirally arranged, pointing forward on the branches and placed distantly from one another compared to other species in the genus Tsuga
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
. They are linear in shape, and 10 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 in) long by 2 to 2.5 mm (0.07 to 0.1 in) wide. The ends are obtuse or rounded, and very occasionally emarginate. The upper surface of the leaves is green and shiny, while the undersides have 2 wide silvery stomatal bands. The upper half of the leaves usually have small dents on the margins, i.e. the margins are rarely entire. The midrib is concave on the upper surface.
The stamenate flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are globose in shape, solitarily arranged and axillary. The anthers are a green-yellow in colour and they lack an air sac. The pistillate flowers are round-ovate in shape, also solitarily arranged, terminal and slightly down-curved. They have many spiral scales with 2 ovule
Ovule
Ovule means "small egg". In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: The integument forming its outer layer, the nucellus , and the megaspore-derived female gametophyte in its center...
s contained within each scale. The seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s are about 9 mm (0.4 in) long, ovate in shape, brown in colour and have thin wings in their upper parts. Flowering occurs from April to May and fruiting from October to November.
Range and habitat
T. dumosa is generally associated with the Himalayan Mountains. In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, it occurs from Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
in the west to Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
in the east. The range continues southeast to northern Burma and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and northeast to southeastern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where it occurs in northwestern Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
and southwestern Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. In Vietnam it is only found at altitudes above 1500 m (5000 ft) on Hoang Lien Son Mountain. In that country it is usually mixed with Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
spp. and Abies pindrow, though it can sometimes form a pure stand. It is adapted to areas with a cold climate and high rainfall and high humidity.