At the end of last week's Flora Wonder Blog I
mentioned in passing that conifers flower, but just express themselves
differently than what we normally think of as a “wildflower.” However, from an
accurate point of view, you can regard the tallest tree on earth, Sequoia
sempervirens, the largest tree on earth, Sequoiadendron giganteum, the oldest
tree on earth, Picea abies – found in Sweden at 9,500 years old – and the most
rare* conifer on earth, Abies beshanzuensis (Debreczy and Racz in Conifers
Around the World) as “wildflowers.” The definition of a wildflower is the
flower of a plant that normally grows in fields, forests etc., without human
intervention. So conifers qualify as wildflowers, and every time you climb
a mountain or wander along a stream, think of the conifers – and everything
else too – as wildflowers.
*The most rare plant on earth must be Pennantia baylisiana,
endemic to the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand, where only one plant is known
to exist. It is a female tree, and though it has been propagated by cuttings,
the lonely spinster will not be able to reproduce the normal way. More used to
exist, but they were eliminated by grazing. This solo female is in the
taxonomic class Magnoliopsida.
Ok, back to conifers. They reproduce by the seeds or fruits
from the female flower (usually cones). Most species are monoecious,
with flowers of both sexes on the same tree; “while species in the yew family,
and many junipers, are dioecious, that is the flowers of the two sexes
are borne on separate plants.” (Rushforth in Conifers).
Rushforth again, “The pollen-producing flowers, usually
called the male cones, or more correctly, the microsporangiate (i.e. small
spore cones), consist in a catkin-like cluster. Often these are yellow, crimson
or violet in colour.” Later, “The pollen falls onto the ovules which are open
to the air on the scales of the female cones, or megasporangiate (i.e. big
spore cones).”
Abies, the “true firs,” assist in their pollination with
female cones rising erect, and usually on the upper portions of the trees.
Abies x arnoldiana was a hybrid of Abies veitchii x Abies koreana, and the
offspring are intermediate between the parents. The cultivar 'Poulsen' is
interesting for a prostrate form, and my 25-year-old specimen has rambled to
15' wide and is only 3' tall. By June numerous purple cones sit atop the
foliage, something like candles on a birthday cake. If I wasn't so busy trying
to make a living I would germinate some of the seed and see what happens, for
in the Flora Wonder Arboretum one never knows who is pollinating who. In
theory, every single female cone could be receiving pollen from a different
male cone in the collection.
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Saint Lucy |
*Santa Lucia's name shares the root luc with the Latin word
for light, lux. Therefore she was named as the patron saint of the blind and
those with poor eye-sight.
I was once told by a dendrological cognoscente that Abies
procera 'Glauca Nana' was invalidly named, since the International Code of
Nomenclature declared that Latin names were no longer valid after the 1950's,
blah blah blah. Yes, I know that, but my start came from the Otto Solburger
collection, north of North Plains, Oregon, and he collected it – from where I
don't know – before the damn code went into effect. Simply put, it is a more
compact form of the species, but still features the delicious erect cones of
Abies procera. We no longer propagate it, but I still have one specimen in the
Flora Wonder Arboretum.
Abies procera 'Silver' is a selection that I raised from
purchased seed, as early in my career I had no idea what I was doing and I
propagated many species from seed. I was trying to find my company's
definition, and from there I...stumbled into what I am now, whatever that is.
Anyway, cones sit atop the astounding silver-blue foliage, and the procera
species has the most impressive female cones than any other Abies I grow.
Pinus parviflora was named for Latin parvis for
“small” and flos for “flower,” and this relative description –
which seems inappropriate to me – was rendered by Philipp von Siebold in 1842
when he botanized in Japan. Parviflora is probably my favorite species of all
pines, and it's sad that a more poetic name wasn't bestowed upon it. It is
native from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu and occurs on higher slopes along with
montane-subalpine flora. It is distinguished by curved blue-green needles and
sessile* cones that remain on the tree for quite a few years. I have a huge
collection of parviflora cultivars, and thank goodness for whoever invented
plant labels, as I would be mixing them all up otherwise. Some, like 'Hagoromo'
and 'Fukuzumi', can be touchy, meaning that they can die at any point, when a
week before they looked great. The dwarf variegated cultivars, such as 'Ogon
janome', 'Tanima no yuki' and 'Goldilocks', can also die if the rootstock is
removed after the first year. We keep ours on for at least four years, with an
annual project to keep the rootstock reduced.
*Attached directly by its base without a stock or peduncle.

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Alexander George von Bunge |

Pseudotsuga menziesii at Flora Farm
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Pseudotsuga sinensis |
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Pseudotsuga sinensis var. gaussenii |
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Pseudotsuga sinensis var. gaussenii |

Pseudotsuga japonica
Pseudotsuga is an interesting genus, growing from British
Columbia to Mexico and east to the Rockies, as well as in Asia. I have
collected a few species which are compatible by grafting onto P. menziesii,
such as P. sinensis, P. sinensis var. gaussenii, P. japonica, and cultivars of
P. menziesii. The Asian species have interesting female cones, and near my two
huge menziesii specimens at Flora Farm I planted a P. japonica and P. sinensis
for added company. All of them are in the coning stage, and it would be fun to
create hybrids, but I just don't have the time to fool around with another
project. If a reputable person or institution would like some seed I would be
happy to oblige.
Sciadopitys verticillata displays female cones that bear a
close resemblance to those of Sequoiadendron giganteum, and both genera are in
the Taxodiaceae family. The specific name verticillata and the
common name “Umbrella pine” are due to the arrangement of the foliage which
resembles the spokes of an umbrella. The Japanese name is Maki, or Koya
maki, because an impressive stand exists on Koya san – Koya Mountain – in
Wakayama Prefecture. Hillier chimes in that Sciadopitys was “first introduced
as a single plant by Thomas Lobb in 1853, later by Robert Fortune and J.G.
Veitch in 1861,” but it was Philipp von Siebold who first described it. We
don't sell many of the straight species anymore, but rather use it as
understock for a myriad of cultivars (which are in high demand). I have not
seen this evergreen conifer in Japan, and surprisingly the tallest specimen
that I am aware of resides in my home-town of Forest Grove, Oregon, just five
miles from my nursery. An odd coincidence is that the carpenter of my pond
house lived in the house next to the tall Sciadopitys in Forest Grove while his
wife was attending Pacific University. He built it for free labor, while I
provided the supplies, but the day he finished – about 30 years ago – he has
never since returned.
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Cryptomeria japonica 'Rasen' male flowers |

Cryptomeria japonica 'Rasen' foliage (left) and female flowers (right)
Cryptomeria flowers are not much for beauty, but they get
the job done in pollination. The Japanese used to be encouraged to plant their
native sugi, to make up for ancient times when Cryptomeria forests
covered much of Japan, but are now reduced to fragmentary stands. But the
addition of new trees in recent years has caused “pollen illness” called kafunshe,
as well as pollen from hinoki. This “hay fever” was relatively uncommon
in Japan until the early 1960's, but now it is estimated that 20% of the
population suffer. It is such a national concern that the Japanese media covers
the pollen season similar to the way they track the cherry blossom season, and
as with the cherry blossoms the pollen season moves from south to north.
Low-pollen areas include Hokkaido and Okinawa where sufferers are encouraged to
take a “hay fever relief vacation.”
Keteleeria davidiana var. davidiana is seldom encountered in
modern gardens due to a) their large proportions and b) cold-hardiness issues.
Imagine my surprise when I saw a good-sized specimen crammed in the Plant
Delights Nursery's display garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. They get as cold
as we do in Oregon, so apparently the Chinese K. davidiana is more cold-hardy
than the other species. My interest is primarily due to the large erect cones
which resemble an Abies on steroids, but I have never grown any species. The
genus name honors J.B. Keteleer (1813-1903), a French nurseryman.
Picea orientalis is a favorite spruce species, and I have a
35 year old seedling in the original Display Garden that grows at about half
the rate of a nearby Picea abies seedling. The P. orientalis is much more
attractive with lush green foliage and reduced rate of growth. One of the
highlights of spring are the red male cones, and they are poised to release their
dust whenever the wind blows, or when you brush past a tree. The female cones
are narrow, tapering to a point, and they start out with a purplish color that
ripens to brown. The “Oriental spruce” or “Caucasian spruce” is native to the
Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia and in northeastern Turkey. The specific
name of orientalis is relative then – from Latin oriens for east
– and was coined before the small world realized that one could go much further
east...all the way to China, Korea and Japan. Buchholz Nursery shares a border
with XYZ Nursery, a much larger company that has frequent burn days for the
stock that won't sell. Someone asking directions to Buchholz Nursery summed up
that “oh, so you are behind XYZ Nursery.” My reply was that “no, we are
in front, as we are east compared to XYZ, so the sun shines on me
first.”
Cathaya argyrophylla is a monotypic genus* discovered in the
mid-1950's, and is native to central and southern China. It is surprising that
from its provenance it would be hardy in Oregon, but it has survived some
brutal winter frosts. The female cones are unimpressive in size, shape and
color, while the male flowers dangle catkin-like with no particular ornamental
value. The specific name argyrophylla translates as “silvery leaves” due
to the color of the leaves' undersides. In Rushforth's Conifers
(copyright 1987) he reminds us that Cathaya “has yet to be introduced,” which
was correct at the time because the Chinese wouldn't allow its release to
western horticulture. We eventually acquired it in the early 1990's, as seed
which easily germinated. Now we are harvesting viable seed from our early
collections, so we don't need no stinking Chinese official to prevent us from
growing and selling Cathaya. Cathay is an alternate word for “China,”
and is the Anglicized version of Catai which originates from the word Khitan,
the name of a nomadic people who ruled much of Northern China. I have flown on
a Cathay Pacific Airliner, which is the flag carrier of Hong Kong.
*Cathaya
argyrophylla was described in 1962 by Chun and Kuang, but in 1960 it was
proposed by Greguss to be Pseudotsuga argyrophylla.
I'll conclude with my assertion that coniferous species are
every-bit as much a “wildflower” as are gentians, calochortus and lilies. That
old pine tree meets the criteria, and hopefully today's blog will inspire you
readers to study the sexual expressions of coniferous species.