Pinaceae

Abies homolepis Siebold & Zucc.

Endemic to Japan occurring in central Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku where it forms an important part of temperate Japanese montane forests. Near Threatened due to past decline resulting from the replacement of natural forests with plantations and reduced regeneration due to Sika deer browsing.

Description

Taxonomic notes.

Abies homolepis var. umbellata (Mayr) EH Wilson is sometimes recognised on the basis of its green cones and slightly exserted bracts whereas the typical form has purple cones (Debreczy, Z. & I. Racz 2011). This taxon may represent a hybrid with Abies firma as it only occurs where the two species' ranges overlap (Tsumura & Suyama 1998). If that is the case then it would not be eligible for the IUCN Redlist as that excludes natural hybrids. Currently this variety is assessed as Data Deficient.

Distribution

Endemic to Japan occurring in central Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku at altitudes ranging from 700m to 2000m above sea level.

Habitat and Ecology

Abies homolepis occurs in mountain areas, forming big populations especially in central Honshu on the eastern side facing the Pacific ocean. In the southern part of its range, it occurs from 1,100 m to 1,800 m a.s.l., in Honshu between 700 m and 2,000 m. The soils are mesic, derived from volcanic rock and usually well drained. The climate is cool and humid. Near the tree limit it forms either pure stands, or mixtures with A.veitchii and/or Larix kaempferi, but at lower elevations it occurs in the mixed coniferous deciduous forests, with e.g. Fagus crenata, Quercus crispula, Betula grossa, Tsuga diversifolia, Thuja standishii, Pinus densiflora. Abies firma replaces A. homolepis below 1,100 m. 


Human Uses

Nikko fir is not an important timber tree as its range is limited and it occurs at high altitudes. It is fairly widely planted as an ornamental tree in Japan as well as in Europe, where it appears to be one of the least demanding species in the genus.

Conservation Status

Currently listed as Near Threatened due to past decline resulting from the replacement of natural forests with plantations and reduced regeneration due to Sika deer browsing. It is also susceptible to ozone pollution.

Conservation Actions

There is no special protection system for this species. However, most localities are now at least protected from logging

References and further reading

  1. Debreczy, Z. & I. Racz 2011. Conifers around the world. Volume 1. Budapest: DendroPress Ltd.
  2. Farjon, A. 2010. A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden
  3. Katsuki, T., Zhang, D, Rushforth, K. & Farjon, A. 2013. Abies homolepis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T42288A2969985. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42288A2969985.en. Downloaded on 05 July 2017
  4. Tsumura, Y., Y. Suyama 1998. Differentiation of mitochondrial DNA polymporphisms in populations of five Japanese Abies species. Evolution 52(4):1031-1042.

External links