The Conifer Manual: Volume 1

444 Pages·1991·62.24 MB·English

by  Humphrey J. Welch (auth.)

THE CONIFER MANUAL
Forestry Sciences
VOLUME 34
The titles published in this series are listed at the end o/this volume.
HUMPHREY J. WELCH
The Conifer Manual
Volume 1
This book represents a fuU revision
and up-dating of the following works
Manual of Cultivated Conifers in the Cold and Warm-Temperate Zone
by P. den Ouden and Dr. B. K. Boom (1965)
and
Manual of Dwarf Conifers
by Humphrey J. Welch (1979)
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Helch. H. J. IHumphrey Jamesl
The conlfer manual! DY Humphray J. Halch.
p. cm. -- IForestry s:jences ; •. 341
"Represents a full revlS10n and up-dat,ng of '" Manual of
cultlvateo con1fe"s In tha cald-Ine warm-temperate zona. by P. den
Duden and Dr. B.K. Bool ... and Manual of dwarf con,fars. by
Humphrey J. Heleh."
Includes blCII09"aphlcal referenees.
ISBN 978-94-010-5647-2 ISBN 978-94-011-3704-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-3704-1
1. Drnaman:ei cc~ifars. 2. Ccrlfars. 3. Ornamental ccn1ţe~s-
-Varietial. 4. Conlfers--Verletles. I. Dudan. P. den (P1eter
den). 1874-1964. ~Ianual of cuittvated con,,!rs. II. Helch. H. J.
(Humphre\' JunI. [>;anua' of a,"arf conifers. III. Ti"[le.
IV. Serles.
S3~2e.W39 1990
634.9·75--c:2C e9"~8827
ISBN 978-94-010-5647-2
Pri"ted O" acid-free paper
Ali Rights Reserved
O 1991 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Origina1ly published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1991
Softcover reprint of the hardcover lst edition 1991
No part of the material protccted by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any fonn or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from
the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume One
Author's Introduction 1 Watering 42
Pruning 42
Picture Credits 3
5. Classification and Nomenclature 44
A Conifer Bibliography 4
Botanical classification 44
1. General Introduction 9 Historical review 47
The word 'conifer' 9 Nomenclature of cultivated plants 50
The origin of conifers 9 The codes of nomenclature 51
The morphology of conifers 11 Latin-form cultivar names 53
The roots 11 Authorities 54
The trunk 11 Types and protologues 54
The branches 11 The World Conifer Data Pool 56
The buds 13 Conifer names registration 56
The leaves 14 Conifer Data Sheet 60
Flowers and cones 14 6. Identification 62
Keys 62
2. The Uses and Value of Conifers 18
Guides to identification of species 63
Conifers in nature 18
Method of using the guides 63
Using conifers 18
The twelve main groups 64
A solitary specimen 20
'Go-to' listing for main group one 65
Hedges and shelter belts: woodland 20
'Go-to' listing for main group two 65
Dwarf conifers 20
'Go-to'listing for main group three 66
Alpine forms 22
'Go-to' listing for main group four 69
Seedling mutations 22
'Go-to' listing for main group five 72
Juvenile fixations 23
'Go-to'listing for main group six 74
Bud mutations 23
'Go-to' listing for main group seven 75
Witches' brooms 24
'Go-to' listing for main group eight 80
Cultivariants 25
'Go-to' listing for main group nine 83
Using dwarf conifers 25
'Go-to' listing for main group ten 83
3. Choice of Species and Varieties 31 'Go-to' listing for main group eleven 85
Climatic zones and hardiness ratings 31 'Go-to' listing for main group twelve 86
4. Cultivation 37 7. Varieties Currently Available 90
Soil preparation 37 Citation of 'authorities' 90
Purchase of plants 38 Citation of Latin-form cultivar names 91
The planting season 41 Abies 92
Planting 41 Acmopyle 167
Aftercare 42 Actinostrobus 167
v
VI
Agathis 167 Diselma 316
Amentotaxus 167 Ephedra 317
Araucaria 167 Fitzroya 317
Athrotaxis 171 Fokienia 317
Austrocedrus 174 Ginkgo 317
Austrotaxus 174 Glyptostrobus 321
Callitris 174 Ha\ocarpus 322
Calocedrus 174 Juniperus 322
Cathaya 178 Keteleeria 404
Cedrus 178 Larix 405
Cephalotaxus 191 Libocedrus 421
Chamaecyparis 194 Metasequoia 421
Cryptomeria 263 Microbiota 423
Cunninghamia 279 Microcachrys 424
X Cupressocyparis 282 Microstrobus 424
Cupressus 288 Papuacedrus 425
Dacrycarpus 313 Phyllocladus 425
Dacrydium 315
Decussocarpus 316 Index to Volume One 427
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume Two
8. Varieties Currently Available
Picea to Widdringtonia
9. Propagation
10. Pests and Diseases
Appendix One: Obsolete names cited in Manual of Cultivated Conifers (Den Ouden and
Boom) but not repeated in the present work
Appendix Two: Confusion in the use of the names ABIES and PICEA by some early
writers on conifers
Index to Volumes One and Two
vii
Author's Introduction
The research that has culminated in the pUblication being introduced .w orldwide) save by one or two
of this Manual was in the first place undertaken private conifer enthusiasts. My own efforts at
for a new edition of the book Manual of Cultivated recording data at Devizes1 made possible the
Conifers by P. den Ouden and Dr B. K. Boom appearance in 1979 of a larger book: Manual of
(both now deceased), published in 1965. Dwarf Conifers. That book was clearly in effect
The claim in that book to have included every a partial up-dating of the den Ouden and Boom
cultivar published since 1753 was not entirely book under revision, so the decision was made
realised, and the stated objective, i.e. that the book to produce an entirely new work, with the present
should serve as a basis for the international register title and with the following objectives.
that was even at that date under consideration
required a lot of space to be devoted to quite 1. To bring the taxonomy into line with current
archaic information. practice.
Each of the authors of the Manual of Cultivated 2. To extend the species descriptions and make
Conifers was well qualified for the task. P. den them (by the use of side headings) more easy
Ouden had been systematically collecting conifer to use.
data throughout his long life as a nurseryman and 3. To supply some form of 'keys'.
had already produced his Naamlijst van Coni/eren 4. To release space for new material by relegating
(published in 1937 and adopted as a standard for several hundred obsolete names to an Appendix.
varietal names at the International Horticultural 5. To bring the coverage of cultivars up to date
Congress in Berlin in 1939) and also his book so far as possible, incorporating material from
Coni/eren Ginkgo en Ephedra (in Dutch) published Manual ofD warf Conifers.
in 1949. Dr B. K. Boom, as the government
taxonomist in Holland, had been recording data The volume of material was now too great to be
regarding new conifers as part of his official duties. contained within a single book of manageable size
So the Manual of Cultivated Conifers could be so the new work has had to be produced in two
readily compiled at that time from available in volumes. Unfortunately this has necessitated the
formation. division of the big, descriptive chapter between the
My own book, Dwarf Conifers - A Complete two volumes. The genera Abies to Phyllocladus will
Guide, published the following year, owed a great be found in this volume and the genera Picea to
deal to help from Dr Boom, who spent several Widdringtonia in the volume which it is intended
days with me at the Wansdyke Nursery at the time shall follow shortly.
the book was in preparation.
Unfortunately this particular contribution by Dr There remains to me only a duty to acknowledge
Boom does not seem to have continued after his the great help received from other people - always
retirement and since then little if any systematic a difficult task and (in the case of a major com-
recording of new introductions was done in this
field (despite the flood of new conifer cultivars I Since developed as the World Conifer Data Pool. See p. 56.
1
2 Author's introduction
pilation of this kind) an impossible one because I am spared having to draft the usual encomium
there have been so many contributions, large and to a long-suffering secretary since this is a lUXUry
small, direct or indirect, from so many sources I have had to do without. But in its place I think
that individual acknowledgement would be quite an apology is due to the word-processor I have
impossible. I here mention just a few; other debts had to make do with instead of a secretary for
of gratitude are acknowledged throughout the all the abuse and unparliamentary language that
book but my sincere thanks go to everyone able has been hurled at it since we first met.
to trace his or her own contribution anywhere in And lastly, since I have been doing the work
the book. at home ever since an event that I still refer to
J. H. Lewis, my successor as International Con as my retirement, my thanks go to my wife for
ifer Registrar (and for many years my mentor in putting up with the loss of the best room in the
all matters botanical) has been most helpful. My house for use as a library, for accepting the loss
thanks go to A. G. Mitchell, K. D. Rushforth and (for whatever that might have been worth) of many
A. D. Silva, amongst others, for their critical help hours of my society, and - most of all - for her
on technical matters, to Dr John Mills for per maddening, but steady encouragement to peg away
mission to use the unpublished work of the late and complete a job which had turned out to be
Laurence Gough, to Adrian Bloom, Robert Fin far more arduous than I had bargained for when
cham, D. M. van Gelderen and many another I took it on.
plantsmen for help with details of new cultivars
and to Don Mitchell for reading through the entire
MS. Humphrey J. Welch
Picture Credits
(1) Bailey, The Cultivated Evergreens (1923) (9) Nicholson, The Gardener's Dictionary (1884)
(2) Beissner, Handbuch der Nadelgehiilzer Ed. 3 (10) Nimmo, M., Haverfordwest, Dyfed, U.K.
(1930) (11) Pallas, Flora Rossica (1878)
(3) Engler, Naturliche Pjlanze-Jami/ien (1926) (12) Silva Tarouca, Unserer Frieland Nadelhiilzer
(4) Flora of China Vol. 7 (1978) Ed. 2 (1923)
(5) Forestry Commission of Great Britain, Con (13) Sudworth, Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope
ifers in the British Isles (1972), drawings by (1908)
Mrs. K. Darter. (14) Veitch, Manual of the Coniferae Ed. 2 (1900)
(6) Mrs. Bente King. (15) Mariosa, Peter, Lynton, N. Devon, U.K.
(7) Mulligan, Brian, Kirkland, WA 98035, U.S.A. Unnumbered photographs supplied by the
(8) Loudon, Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum author.
(1838)
3