Fagus japonica

Japanese blue beech
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Fagus
Species:
F. japonica
Binomial name
Fagus japonica

Fagus japonica, known as the Japanese beech, Japanese blue beech or in Japanese as inubuna ("dog buna") or kurobuna ("black buna"), is a deciduous tree of the beech family Fagaceae.

Description

It reaches 25 metres in height.[2] The growth habit is often multi-trunked.[3] Bark is smooth and grey. The simple leaves are arranged alternately along the branch. They are slightly pubescent and slightly glaucous beneath, with 10–14 pairs of lateral nerves. Fruiting peduncles are 3–4 cm long and glabrous.[4]

Taxonomy

Fagus is subdivided into two subgenera: Engleriana, which are low-branching with yellowish bark, and Fagus, which is high-branching with light-grey bark. Another species of beech is found in Japan, Fagus crenata, which is in subgenus Fagus while F. japonica is in the subgenus Engleriana.[5][6][7]

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to Japan, where it is one of the main tree species in natural deciduous forests particularly on the Pacific side of the country.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Fagus japonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T138593408A143486022. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T138593408A143486022.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ Woody Plants of Japan, Vol. 1, 2000. ISBN 4-635-07003-4.
  3. ^ a b Peters, R. (1997). Beech Forests. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
  4. ^ Ohwi, J. (1984). Flora of Japan. ISBN 978-0-87474-708-9.
  5. ^ Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Cardoni, Simone; Csilléry, Katalin; Kurz, Mirjam; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef; Simeone, Marco Cosimo; Worth, James R. P. (2024). "A subgeneric classification of Fagus (Fagaceae) and revised taxonomy of western Eurasian beeches". Willdenowia. 54 (2–3): 151–181. Bibcode:2024Willd..5454301D. doi:10.3372/wi.54.54301. ISSN 0511-9618.
  6. ^ Cardoni, Simone; Piredda, Roberta; Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Papageorgiou, Aristotelis C.; Schulze, Ernst-Detlef; Scoppola, Anna; Shanjani, Parvin Salehi; Suyama, Yoshihisa (October 19, 2021). "5S-IGS rDNA in wind-pollinated trees (Fagus L.) encapsulates 55 million years of reticulate evolution and hybrid origins of modern species". The Plant Journal. 109 (4): 909–926. bioRxiv 10.1101/2021.02.26.433057. doi:10.1111/tpj.15601. PMC 9299691. PMID 34808015. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Denk, Thomas; Grimm, Guido W.; Hemleben, Vera (June 2005). "Patterns of molecular and morphological differentiation in Fagus (Fagaceae): phylogenetic implications". American Journal of Botany. 92 (6): 1006–1016. doi:10.3732/ajb.92.6.1006. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 21652485.

Bibliography

  • Sogo, Akiko; Tobe, Hiroshi (2006). "Delayed fertilization and pollen-tube growth in pistils of Fagus japonica (Fagaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 93 (12): 1748–1756. doi:10.3732/ajb.93.12.1748.