Sciadopitys verticillata

"Umbrella pine" redirects here. For the Mediterranean tree species less commonly referred to by this name, see Pinus pinea.

Sciadopitys verticillata
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–Recent
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Sciadopityaceae
Genus: Sciadopitys
Species:
S. verticillata
Binomial name
Sciadopitys verticillata
Synonyms
  • Pinus verticillata (Thunb.) Siebold
  • Podocarpus verticillatus (Thunb.) Jacques
  • Taxus verticillata Thunb. 1784

Sciadopitys verticillata, the kōyamaki or Japanese umbrella-pine, is a unique conifer endemic to Japan. It is the sole living member of the family Sciadopityaceae and genus Sciadopitys, a living fossil with no close relatives. The oldest fossils of Sciadopitys are from the Late Cretaceous of Japan, and the genus was widespread in Laurasia during most of the Cenozoic, especially in Europe until the Pliocene.[2] An extinct European relative of this species may have been the primary producer of Baltic amber.

  1. ^ Katsuki, T.; Luscombe, D.; Farjon, A. (2013). "Sciadopitys verticillata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T34111A2846623. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T34111A2846623.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Hofmann, Christa-Ch.; Odgerel, Nyamsambuu; Seyfullah, Leyla J. (2021). "The occurrence of pollen of Sciadopityaceae Luerss. through time". Fossil Imprint. 77 (2): 271–281. doi:10.37520/fi.2021.019. ISSN 2533-4069. S2CID 245555379.