Widdringtonia whytei
| Widdringtonia whytei | |
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| Widdringtonia whytei on Mount Mulanje, Malawi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Genus: | Widdringtonia |
| Species: | W. whytei |
| Binomial name | |
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Widdringtonia whytei Rendle |
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| Synonyms | |
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Widdringtonia whytei, the Mulanje cypress, is a species of Widdringtonia native to Malawi, where it is endemic to the Mulanje Massif at altitudes of 1,830-2,550 m. It has become endangered as a result of over-harvesting for its wood, and an increase in the frequency of wildfires due to human activity.
It was formerly often called "Mulanje cedar" but has been renamed Mulanje cypress to better reflect its botanical relationships.
It is a large evergreen tree growing to 40–50 m tall. The leaves are scale-like, 1.5-3.5 mm long and 1-1.5 mm broad on small shoots, up to 10 mm long on strong-growing shoots, and arranged in opposite decussate pairs. The cones are globose, 1.5-2.2 cm long, with four scales.
The species Widdringtonia nodiflora is common in South Africa and Zimbabwe in its dwarf form which has little more stature that a scrubby bush. It is only on Mulanje and Mchese Mountain that a closely related tree form is found, Widdringtonia whytei, commonly known as Mulanje cedarwood, but renamed “Mulanje cypress” by the University of the Witwatersrand, to better reflect its botanical relationships.
On these mountains the tree is limited to altitudes between 1830 and 2550 m, and it is normally confined to hollows and valleys where the topography provides some protection from fire. Most commonly it occurs as small woodlands amongst rolling tussocky grassland slopes, between craggy, granite, rock faces.
The timber is pale red, straight grained and pleasantly fragrant. Its major qualities are that it works well and is extremely durable, being resistant to attacks from termites, wood boring insects and fungi. For these reasons the timber achieved major economic significance during the first three decades of the 20th century, when it was high in demand for developing work. Currently the timber is most used in the making of local arts and crafts, fishing boats for Lake Malawi, as well as in the construction and decoration of many prestigious buildings.
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Wikipedia