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Microbiota decussata

(Siberian Carpet Cypress)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Russian Arborvitae, Russian Carpet Cypress, Siberian Carpet Cypress, Siberian Cypress

Description

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Family Cupressaceae

Trees or shrubs evergreen , monoecious or dioecious. Leaves decussate or in whorls of 3, scalelike and then often dimorphic with flattened facial leaves and keeled lateral leaves, or needlelike particularly in juvenile plants , often with an abaxial resin gland . Pollen cones terminal or axillary , solitary, maturing and shed annually; microsporophylls 6-16, decussate or whorled , each bearing (2 or) 3-6(-9) pollen sacs ; pollen wingless. Seed cones usually terminal, solitary, globose , ovoid , or oblong , dehiscent or indehiscent when mature in 1st or 2nd(or 3rd) year; cone scales developing after ovules originate in bract axils; bracts almost completely enveloped by cone scales, free only at apex; ovules 1-numerous per bract axil, erect ; cone scales of mature cones 3-16, flat or peltate, woody, leathery, or succulent, 1-20-seeded. Seeds winged or not; wings derived from seed coat . Cotyledons usually 2, rarely 3-6. Germination epigeal.

Nineteen genera and ca. 125 species: worldwide; eight genera (one introduced ) and 46 species (16 endemic, 13 introduced) in China.[1]

Physical Description

ID Features: Juniper-like foliage. Foliage is scale-like and feathery. Low growing habit with drooping shoot tips. Winter foliage is purple-bronze.

Habit: A low growing spreading evergreen conifer, with an appearance similar to the low growing junipers. Foliage is soft and feathery. Shoots arch over with drooping tips .

Flowers: Not of any ornamental importance. Monoecious with male and female flowers. • Bloom Period: n/a • Flower Conspicuous: None

Seeds: Fruit: Not of any ornamental importance. A single, naked seed with basal scales .

Foliage: Scale-like, pointed , feathery • Foliage Shape: Triangular • Normal foliage color: Green • Underside foliage: Green • Juvenile foliage: Green • Mature foliage: Green • New foliage: Green • Spring foliage: Green • Summer foliage: Foliage is scale-like and prickly to the touch. Color is a bright green. Looks much like juniper foliage. Branchlets in flattened sprays . • Fall foliage: Foliage is evergreen , but turns a bronzy-purple color with exposure to. cold and sun. Foliage "greens up" in the spring . • Winter foliage: Bronze

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Moderate. • Size: to 18 inches high, 6 ft . and more wide.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: A top notch evergreen groundcover. A good substitute for juniper. Useful as an evergreen groundcover in partial shade (not full shade). Best used in groupings. Bank stabilization. • Liabilities: Probably not as shade tolerant as initially reported. Still somewhat uncommon and hard to find. Some dislike the purple-bronze needle color in the winter. A new plant for which little long term information has been collected. • Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system . Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring . For a tidy, neat appearance , shear annually to shape .

Habitat

Found above the tree line in the mountains in zone 3.

Ecology: In mixed conifer forests and mixed angiosperm-conifer forests as undergrowth shrub , in subalpine vegetation associated with Pinus pumila, on steep stone slopes of mountains, often as a continuous cover . Elevation (from GIS): 32 to 1,365 m , from herbarium specimens 800 to 1,500 m (GIS in this case more reliable). This species is in cultivation and in the horticultural trade.


List of Habitats :1.4Forest - Temperate 3.4Shrubland - Temperate

Biology

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Growth

Culture: An easily grown plant. Does not appear to be fussy about soil as long as it is well drained. Initially touted as the "juniper for shade". Although it is tolerant of partial shade, it looks at its best in full sun .

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Filtered sun

Moisture: Water Requirements: Once established needs only occasional water.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 7 (>60 to 90 days) Low:1 (< 1 days) (map) • Cold Hardiness: High:7 (0 to 10 F) Low:2 (-50 to -40 F) (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Farjon A., 11-Jan-2006

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Microbiota

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. decussata (Siberian Carpet Cypress) · M. decussata 'Gold Spot' · M. decussata Kom. 'Hexenbesen' · M. decussata 'Jakobsen' · M. decussata 'Trompenburg'

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 29, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Liguo Fu, Yong-fu Yu, Robert P. Adams & Aljos Farjon "Cupressaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 62. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009