Fitzroya
Read about Fitzroya in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Fitzroya (Capt. R. Fitzroy, of the British Navy; died 1855). Pinaceae. Two evergreen trees or shrubs, one of the mountains of S. Chile (F. patagonica, Hook. f. B.M. 4616), and one of Tasmania (F. archeri, Benth.). Lvs. small, 3-verticillate or decussate-opposite, imbricated: catkins very small, globose. They are little known in this country, and may be expected to thrive only in the milder parts. The former species is a tree, has lvs. mostly verticillate, ovate-oblong, in 2-4 rows, anthers commonly 4-celled, 3 ovules, and seeds 2-winged ; the latter is bushy, has opposite decussate keeled lvs., anthers 2-celled, ovules 2, seeds 3-winged. The Biltmore Nursery, N. C., lists F. patagonica, "a tree of variable dimensions, native of the Andes, from Chile to the Straits of Magellan. Lvs. dark green above, with 2 white lines beneath. ... Its value in cult, in the U. S. has not yet been fully proved;" but it is said to possess sufficient hardiness to withstand the winters in the S. It is reported as being hardy in S. England. It is monoecious, the small cones consisting of about 9 scales; the lvs. on small trees are reported as varying much in the way in which they stand on the st., but they are 4-rowed and decurrent; pollen-sacs mostly 4. L.H.B. Five-finger: Potentilla.
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Fitzroya is a genus in the cypress family Cupressaceae with a single species, Fitzroya cupressoides native to the Andes mountains of southern Chile and adjoining Argentina, where it is an important member of the Valdivian temperate rain forests. The scientific name of the genus honours Robert FitzRoy; common names include Lahuan (the Mapuche Native American name), Alerce (South American Spanish), and Patagonian Cypress.
It is a very large evergreen tree, the largest tree species in South America, growing to 40-60 m tall and up to 5 m trunk diameter. The leaves are in decussate whorls of three, 3-6 mm long (to 8 mm long on seedlings) and 2 mm broad, marked with two white stomatal lines. The cones are globose, 6-8 mm diameter, opening flat to 12 mm across, with nine scales in three whorls of three. Only the central whorl of scales is fertile, bearing 2-3 seeds on each scale; the lower and upper whorls are small and sterile. The seeds are 2-3 mm long, flat, with a wing along each side. The seeds are mature 6-8 months after pollination.
In 1993 a specimen from Chile was dated as 3622 years old. This gives it the second-greatest fully verified age recorded for any living tree (the oldest being the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine). Much larger specimens existed in the past before the species was heavily logged in the 19th and 20th centuries; Charles Darwin reported finding a specimen 12.6 m in diameter, which, if accurately measured, would have made it the stoutest tree ever measured anywhere in the world.
A team of researchers from the University of Tasmania found fossilized foliage of Fitzroya on the Lea River of northwest Tasmania. The 35 million year-old fossil has been given the species name Fitzroya tasmanensis. The finding demonstrates the ancient floristic affinities between Australasia and southern South America, which botanists identify as the Antarctic flora.
In the colonial Chiloé the Fitzroya wood was very valued and roof shingles of Fitzroya were used as money and were called "Real de Alerce".
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Listed as Endangered (EN A1cd+2cd v2.3)
- Hill, R. S. and Whang, S. S. 1996. A new species of Fitzroya (Cupressaceae) from Oligocene sediments in north-western Tasmania. Australian Systematic Botany 9(6): 867-875.
