bio.wikisort.org - Plant

Taxodium mucronatum, commonly known as Montezuma bald cypress,[4] Montezuma cypress,[5] or ahuehuete,[5] is a species of Taxodium that is primarily native to Mexico and Guatemala, with a few populations in the southwestern United States.[6] Ahuehuete is derived from the Nahuatl name for the tree, āhuēhuētl, which means "upright drum in water"[7] or "old man of the water."[2]

Taxodium mucronatum
at El Sabinal, Aguascalientes, Mexico
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnosperms
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Cupressaceae
Genus:	Taxodium
Species:	T. mucronatum
Binomial name
Taxodium mucronatum Ten.
Natural range
Synonyms[2]
Taxodium distichum var. mucronatum (Ten.) A.Henry Taxodium mexicanum Carrière Taxodium distichum var. mexicanum (Carrière) Gordon Cuprespinnata mexicana (Carrière) J.Nelson Taxodium huegelii C.Lawson[3]

Description

It is a large evergreen or semi-evergreen tree growing to 40 m (130 ft) tall and with a trunk of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) diameter (occasionally much more; see below). The leaves are spirally arranged but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) broad. The cones are ovoid, 1.5–2.5 cm (0.59–0.98 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad. Unlike bald cypress and pond cypress, Montezuma cypress rarely produces cypress knees from the roots.[2] Trees from the Mexican highlands achieve a notable stoutness.

One specimen, the Árbol del Tule in Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico, is the stoutest tree in the world with a diameter of 11.42 m (37.5 ft). Several other specimens from 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft) diameter are known. The second stoutest tree in the world is the Big Baobab, an African baobab.

Distribution and habitat

Montezuma cypress is primarily a riparian tree, growing along upland riversides, but can also be found next to springs and marshes. It occurs from 300 to 2,500 m (980 to 8,200 ft), in Mexico mainly in highlands at 1,600–2,300 m (5,200–7,500 ft) in altitude. T. mucronatum is very drought-tolerant and fast-growing[8] and favors climates that are rainy throughout the year or at least with high summer rainfall.

Taxodium mucronatum is native to much of Mexico as far south as the highlands of southern Mexico.[2] Two disjunct populations exist in the United States. One is in the Rio Grande Valley of southernmost Texas, while the other is in southern New Mexico, near Las Cruces.[9][10] Within Guatemala, the tree is restricted to Huehuetenango Department.[6]

Culture

The sabino became the national tree of Mexico in 1910.[11] The tree is sacred to the native peoples of Mexico, and is featured in the Zapotec creation myth.[12] To the Aztecs, the combined shade of an āhuēhuētl and a pōchōtl (Ceiba pentandra) metaphorically represented a ruler's authority.[13] According to legend, Hernán Cortés wept under an ahuehuete in Popotla[14] after suffering defeat during the Battle of La Noche Triste.[15]

This plant is mentioned in the 2015 short story "Rivers" by John Keene, which reimagines the story of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.[16]

Uses

Montezuma cypresses have been used as ornamental trees since Pre-Columbian times. The Aztecs planted āhuēhuētl along processional paths in the gardens of Chapultepec because of its association with government.[17] Artificial islands called chinampas were formed in the shallow lakes of the Valley of Mexico by adding soil to rectangular areas enclosed by trees such as āhuēhuētl;[2] they also lined the region's canals prior to Spanish conquest.[11]

Ahuehuetes are frequently cultivated in Mexican parks and gardens. The wood is used to make house beams and furniture,[15]. The Aztecs used its resin to treat gout, ulcers, skin diseases, wounds, and toothaches. A decoction made from the bark was used as a diuretic and an emmenagogue. Pitch derived from the wood was used as a cure for bronchitis The leaves acted as a relaxant and could help reduce itching.[18] In some parts of Mexico the foliage is used to decorate church altars during religious ceremonies.[19]

John Naka, a world-renowned bonsai master, donated his very first bonsai, a Montezuma cypress, to the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum of the United States.

A linear grove is located in the main courtyard of the Getty Center Art Museum, thriving since 1995.[20]

Hybrids

• Taxodium × ‘LaNana’ (T. distichum × T. mucronatum)[21]
• Taxodium 'Zhongshansa' (T. distichum × T. mucronatum)[22]

References

General references

• Eguiluz T. 1982. Clima y Distribución del género pinus en México. Distrito Federal. Mexico.
• Rzedowski J. 1983. Vegetación de México. Distrito Federal, Mexico.
• Martínez, Maximinio. 1978. Catálogo de nombres vulgares y científicos de plantas mexicanas.

External links

• "Taxodium mucronatum" (PDF). Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps from "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications). United States Geological Survey.

На других языках

---

- [en] Taxodium mucronatum

---

[es] Taxodium mucronatum

Taxodium mucronatum (Ten. 1853), también conocida como Taxodium huegelii (C.Lawson 1851), es una especie arbórea perteneciente a la familia de las cupresáceas, conocida popularmente, entre otras denominaciones, como ahuehuete. Es nativa de México, aunque también se encuentra en zonas muy localizadas del sur de Texas y noroeste de Guatemala.[2][1][3] En 1921, para celebrar el centenario de la independencia mexicana, se seleccionó como árbol nacional por su esplendor, belleza, longevidad, dimensiones colosales y tradición. Desde tiempos prehispánicos a este árbol se le han atribuido cualidades sagradas, y ha sido parte de leyendas y de la historia de distintos lugares de lengua hahuehuetl.[1]

---

[ru] Таксодиум мексиканский

Таксодиум мексиканский, Мексиканский кипарис[1] (лат. Taxodium huegelii) — вечнозеленое хвойное дерево рода Таксодиум (Taxodium) семейства Кипарисовые (Cupressaceae).

---

---