5: Cone-bearing branchlet and seed cones; 6: Seed scale, abaxial view; 7: Seed [Liu Chunrong, redrawn by Li Aili] (Fu et al. 1999).
1: Cone-bearing branchlet with leaves and seed cones; 2: Branchlet with leaves; 3: Seed [Li Aili] (Fu et al. 1999).
5: Cone-bearing branchlet and seed cones; 6: Seed scale, abaxial view; 7: Seed [Liu Chunrong, redrawn by Li Aili] (Fu et al. 1999).
1: Cone-bearing branchlet with leaves and seed cones; 2: Branchlet with leaves; 3: Seed [Li Aili] (Fu et al. 1999).
Thuja koraiensis
Korean arborvitae (Chambers 1993), or 
chao xian ya bai [Chinese] (Fu et al. 1999).
Shrubs or small trees to 10 m tall and 80 cm dbh. Bark red-brown and smooth when young, gray-brown and fissured when old, soon flaking; branches ascending or spreading; young branchlets ± glaucous, soon becoming green. Facial leaves 1-2 mm, to 15 mm on leading branchlets, abaxial gland near base, apex obtuse; lateral leaves as long as or shorter than facial leaves, apex incurved. Pollen cones purplish, subglobose, 2-3 mm; microsporophylls 6-10, each with 3 or 4 pollen sacs. Seed cones dark brown when ripe, ellipsoid-globose, 7-10 × 6-8 mm; basal pair of cone scales subellipsoid, middle pairs suboblong, apical pair long and narrow. Seeds ellipsoid, flattened, ca. 4 × 1.5 mm; wings 1-1.5 mm wide. Pollination May, seed maturity September (Fu et al. 1999). See García Esteban et al. (2004) for a detailed characterization of the wood anatomy.
N Korea and China: S Jilin (Changbai Shan) at 700-1,800 m elevation (Silba 1986, Fu et al. 1999). Hardy to Zone 5 (cold hardiness limit between -28.8°C and -23.3°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).
It is a vulnerable species in China (Fu et al. 1999).
No data as of 2023.03.03.
Nakai. 1919. Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 33: 196.
The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.
Last Modified 2024-11-27
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