Topic #14: Sciadopityaceae

• Used to be classified under Cupressaceae as a genera but was found later to not be allied on said family.
• Leaves are whorled with 20-30 soft, flat, dark radiating green needles.
• They are evergreen and endemic to Japan
• Sciadopitys verticillata (Japanese umbrella pine) has an umbrella arrangement of leaves and is a living fossil
• Living Fossil - has no close relatives based on molecular data.
• main shoot is brown, with whorls of 7-12 cm long flexible green cladodes