Picea jezoensis

Picea jezoensis

The dark-bark spruce or Ezo spruce, Yezo spruce, Jezo spruce (Picea jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) Carrière, 1855) is an arboreal species belonging to the Pinaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Pinophyta division,
Class Pinopsida,
Pinales Order,
Pinaceae family,
Genus Picea,
P. jezoensis species.
The terms are synonyms:
– Abies ajanensis (Fisch. ex Carrière) Rupr. & Maxim.;
– Abies ajanensis Lindl. & Gord.;
– Abies ajanensis var. microsperma (Lindl.) Mast.;
– Abies firma var. jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) Carrière;
– Abies jezoensis Siebold & Zucc.;
– Abies microsperma Lindl.;
– Picea ajanensis Fisch. ex Carrière;
– Picea ajanensis var. microsperma (Lindl.) Mast.;
– Picea ajanensis var. subintegerrima Trautv. & C.A.Mey.;
– Picea austromandshurica Silba;
– Picea jezoensis f. kamtchatkensis (Lacass.) S.L.Tung & Y.L.Chou;
– Picea jezoensis subsp. ajanensis (Fisch. ex Carrière) Silba;
– Picea jezoensis subsp. microsperma (Lindl.) Silba;
– Picea jezoensis var. ajanensis (Fisch. ex Carrière) W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu;
– Picea jezoensis var. jezoensis;
– Picea jezoensis var. microsperma (Lindl.) W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu;
– Picea kamtchatkensis Lacass.;
– Picea manshurica Nakai;
– Picea microsperma (Lindl.) Carrière;
– Picea yezomonii Beissn.;
– Pinus firma var. jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl.;
– Pinus jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) Antoine;
– Pinus jezoensis f. microsperma (Lindl.) Voss;
– Pseudotsuga jezoensis (Siebold & Zucc.) W.R.McNab;
– Tsuga ajanensis (Fisch. ex Carrière) Regel;
– Veitchia japonica Lindl..
All’interno di questa specie si riconoscono due sottospecie:
– Picea jezoensis subsp. jezoensis;
– Picea jezoensis subsp. hondoensis (Mayr) P. A. Schmidt.

Etymology –
The term Picea, already used by the Latins, could, according to an etymological interpretation, derive from Pix picis = pitch, in reference to the abundant production of resin.
The specific epithet jezoensis derives from Ezo, ancient name of Hokkaido and of other islands north of the Japanese island of Honshu, where the species is found.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Picea jezoensis is a conifer native to China (Jilin), Russia (Magadan, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Primorsky, Kamchatka and Khabarovsk), Japan (Hokkaidō and Honshū) and North Korea.
The plant is scattered over an area from the mountains of central Japan and the Changbai Mountains to the China-North Korea border, north to eastern Siberia, including Sikhote-Alin, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka.
Its habitat is that of cold but humid temperate rainforests, from sea level to 2700 m of altitude, on podzolic soils, with annual rainfall ranging between 1000 and 2500 mm. It forms mixed forests, usually with other conifers such as Tsuga diversifolia, species of Abies, Larix and Pinus; among the deciduous trees the most present is Betula ermanii. Nowhere does its range extend more than 400 km from the Pacific Ocean.

Description –
Picea jezoensis is a tree that grows up to 40-50 meters in height and has a single straight trunk.
The bark is initially rough and grooved, blackish brown or dark purple-grey.
First order branches are long, slender and horizontally developed. The branches of the second order are drooping, slender and dense. The crown is pyramidal or broadly conical. The shoots are solid, slender, first pale yellow, then yellow-orange or reddish-brown, with a grooved, wrinkled, glabrous or pubescent surface; the pulvini are darker, 1 mm long.
The leaves are needle-like, dark green in the upper part, with two white bands below, linear, straight or slightly curved, 1,2 cm long, with acute or mucronate tips; these have stomata on the underside, arranged in 6-7 lines on two bands. The vegetative buds are ovoid-conical, 5-8 mm long, without resin; they have obtuse-triangular pearls, of an orange-brown colour, which persist for years.
The male cones are yellow, axillary, arranged in hanging groups on the shoots, 1,5-2 cm long.
The female cones are sessile or with a short peduncle, cylindrical in shape, initially erect, then hanging when ripe, 4-7 cm long and 2-3.5 cm broad, initially green, then reddish-brown or yellowish, with obtuse tips . The macrosporophylls are numerous, small, obovate-oblong or rhombic, very thin but rigid, 1-1.2 cm long. The bracts are small, ligulate, with indented cusp tips, 4-5 mm long, included and of a purple colour. The seeds, of a pale brown colour, are ovoid-cuneate, 3 mm long, with an ovate-oblong winged part, 6-10 mm long.

Cultivation –
Picea jezoensis is an evergreen tree that is harvested from the wild for local use as food, medicine and source of materials.
It is a conifer that likes abundant humidity at the roots; if grown in drier areas it must be equipped with a moist and deep soil. It tolerates poor peaty soils and also grows in moist, cold, shallow soils, but is not very wind tolerant in shallow soils.
From a soil point of view, it prefers a pH between 4 and 6.
The plant does not like shade and is intolerant of air pollution.
This species hybridizes easily with other members of this genus.
Propagation can be by seed which is recommended to be stratified to improve germination, so if possible sow fresh seeds in autumn in a cold environment. The preserved seed should instead be sown as early as possible during the year in a cold and shady environment.
The seeds must not be left to dry out and must be stored in a cool place.
The young seedlings are then placed in single pots and kept for the first winter in a protected place.
It can also be propagated by cuttings from mature terminal shoots, 5 – 10 cm long, in the period of September / early autumn in an unheated greenhouse. It takes about 12 months to root.
Even soft to semi-mature wood cuttings can be rooted in early summer in a protected area: Rooting is slow but sure.
The trees should be transplanted when they are quite small, between 30 and 90 cm. Larger trees tolerate transplanting poorly and form a less vigorous root system.

Customs and Traditions –
Picea jezoensis is a plant known by various names, including: Yezo spruce or Jezo spruce (English); エゾマツ Ezo-matsu (Japanese); 卵果鱼鳞云杉 yu lin yunshan (Chinese), Ель аянская (Russian).
This conifer is of great economic importance for the exploitation of its wood, used in the paper industry and for the manufacture of musical instruments. more and more frequently in construction; in Kamchatka it is used for the construction of local houses. Wood is soft, light, elastic and flexible.
It is a much utilized species for the reforestations, in particular in Korea and Japan, but also in Europe, where, however, it has shown to be sensitive to late frosts; few cultivars are known, despite various attempts at hybridization with P. sitchensis, P. glauca and P. mariana.
The plant also has an edible use.
Young male cones are eaten raw or cooked or used as a flavouring.
The immature cones are eaten cooked. The core, when roasted, is sweet and syrupy.
The inner bark dried and ground into a powder is used as a thickener in soups etc. or added to cereals to make bread.
The seed can be eaten raw, however it is impractical.
From the young tips of the shoots a refreshing herbal tea can be obtained, rich in vitamin C.
In the medicinal field they are vulnerable.
Among other uses, it should be remembered that a resin obtained from the trunk of the tree is used in medicine.
The tannin is obtained from the bark.
An essential oil is obtained from the leaves.
It is also occasionally planted as an ornamental tree in large gardens.
From an ecological point of view, being a conifer with a vast range and population, it is classified as a species of minimum risk (least concern) in the IUCN Red List.

Method of Preparation –
Picea jezoensis is a conifer which, in addition to the use of wood, is also used in the food and medicinal fields.
The young male cones are eaten raw or cooked or used as a flavoring.
The immature cones are eaten cooked and the heart, when roasted, is sweet and syrupy.
The inner bark is dried and ground, obtaining a powder useful as a thickener in soups etc. or added to cereals to make bread.
The seed can be eaten raw.
From the young tips of the shoots a refreshing herbal tea can be obtained, rich in vitamin C.
Among other uses, it should be remembered that a resin obtained from the trunk of the tree is used in medicine.
The tannin is extracted from the bark and an essential oil is obtained from the leaves.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.