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Is Cryptomeria 'black dragon' even a cryptomeria?

Heruga (7a Northern NJ)

7 years ago

The black dragon looks nothing like a cryptomeria. The needles looks and feels way different. Even the dwarf globosa nana has needles same as the regular cryptomeria. Yoshino and reins dense jade also looks like the regular specimen. Is it a hybrid of some sort? Someone explain to me.

Featured Answer

Mike McGarvey

7 years ago

Here's the species Cryptomeria....on the left and down over an eight foot embankment.

A Pseudotsuga menziesii is on the right. (Douglas Fir) An ice storm stripped most of the limbs off a few years ago.

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Comments (12)

Embothrium
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Doesn't seem that aberrant to me, as far as it goes - there are more bizarre ones than this grown.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
Most definitely a cryptomeria. And as noted above, lots of cultivars with very different foliage textures and appearance. Take a look at 'Araucaroides', 'Cristata', 'Rasen' or 'Spiralis'. Like a number of other conifer genera, crypts produce both juvenile and adult foliage, which can account for pretty unique textural variations.
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A picky-picky plant in my own experience. I'd say all Cryptomeria's do best in zone 6b and above and at their very best in a non-humid climate with low temperatures. All that bronzing.. is.. dead tissue. Dax
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Generally described as growing wider than tall but in a roughly pyramidal form. You can expect a height of 8-12' and a width of 6-10' over time. A midsized cryptomeria, suitable for smaller gardens. However, the one in the above photo is going to rapidly outgrow its alloted space and infringe on the walkway, provded it is not crowded out by other, more rapidly growing vegetation.
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Btw since you guys seem to know a lot about cryptomerias, now I have a question regarding the Yoshino cryptomeria. So I'm a little confused on its mature height. A lot of sites say it grows 2-3 feet tall annually yet it also says it will only be 10 feet tall in 10 years. One other person from this forum(forgot who) said that his 10 year old yoshino is 10 feet tall. So how is that 2-3 feet tall a year? Also, every single site states that it will only be 30-40 feet tall but if it grows 2-3 feet tall every year then say in 50 years shouldn't it be like 100 feet tall? Even if it only grows 1 foot per year it would be at least 50 feet tall. Yet I've never seen ANY site stating this tree to be more than 50 feet. Can someone explain this to me. Does this tree really stay at 30-40 feet, like every source says?
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Sara Malone Zone 9b
7 years ago
or 'Dacrydoides'!
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Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
Cryptomeria japonica 'Nana'. Never been trimmed. Picture taken 1-21-2016. In very poor, thin soil and no supplemental water. I had no idea it would grow so large. Looking north.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Vilmoriniana'
DeanW45
7 years ago
I remember talking to someone some time ago who asked the exact same question you did. I also think Black Dragon has much in common with other Cryptomeria, but you are not the only person who has wondered.
Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
'Elegans' with juvenile foliage looks more different than the others to me. This is one of mine today started from a cutting a few years ago.

And, of course, Black Dragon.
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Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
Original Author
7 years ago
Yea I looked over again and I really don't see any similarities between black dragon and the other cryptomerias. It looks more like a spruce tree
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Sara Malone Zone 9b
7 years ago
What is so odd to me is that this is a monotypic genus - only one species. Yet there are hundreds of cultivars and an incredible variety of foliage types. 'Black Dragon' looks nothing like 'Elegans' for example. There are other cultivars that have the same kind of foliage as 'Black Dragon' and others that look similar to 'Elegans' ('Mushroom' for example). Presumably their DNA is all so close that they truly are one genus but sometimes the phenotypes don't look like it!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
Other types of conifers can offer extremely variable foliage types as well, with some cultivars looking very atypical for the genus. Hinoki cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa, comes to mind, with selections like 'Chirimen', 'Filicoides' or 'Spiralis' looking nothing like the species. Again, this is a species that frequently produces both juvenile and adult foliage, often in combination on the same plant, to produce this very divergent foliage appearance and texture.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
I had no idea it would grow so large.

==>>> some might generalize and say ... trees never really stop growing ... lol ...

at least you didnt plant it 1 foot from the foundation .. lol

ken
0
plantkiller_il_5
7 years ago
Well put
0

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