CRYPTOMERIA japonica ‘Little Champion’ (Japanese cedar)

Description

CRYPTOMERIA japonica ‘Little Champion’ surprises with its truly unusual foliage and shape. Indeed, this Japanese cedar is a dwarf plant because it grows very slowly and will not exceed 1 m. In addition, this dwarf conifer has a naturally rounded shape. It develops very dense green foliage.
This is a really atypical plant. It will bring a graphic touch to your garden.
In addition, this conifer lends itself perfectly to bonsai.

To view our other CRYPTOMERIA variants currently available for sale, please click here.

How to plant CRYTPOMERIA japonica ‘Little Champion’

The dwarf conifer does well in pots as well as in the ground. Find a place in full sun or partial shade.

Soil can be light, normal, or heavy with any pH level. Even if this little conifer resists easily in dry soils, it loves very humid soils.

This plant will delight novice gardeners as well as collectors.

For a good preparation of the pot or ground, we have designed specific instructions available here.

History and origin

The type species CRYPTOMERIA japonica comes to us from Japan, where it is also called “Sugi”. Its English vernacular name is Japanese redwood or Japanese cedar, not to be confused with the Atlas cedars. Moreover, this conifer has been cultivated for so long in China that the specimens there have been described as a different species (CRYTOPMERIA japonica var. sinensis). However, they are no different from the varieties found growing wild in Japan. Furthermore, no evidence has been found to demonstrate that CRYPTOMERIA japonica existed in the wild in China.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Portuguese introduced CRYPTOMERIA to the Azores for the production of wood. They remain the most cultivated species in the archipelago, with a presence rate of 60% in production forests.

Fossils over 34 million years old have been discovered in Kamchatka and others over 5 million years old in Germany near the Rhine.

The CRYPTOMERIA wood gives off a strong fragrance and is very resistant to fungus and insects. Its low density makes it the wood of choice for lightweight constructions.

Historically, CRYPTOMERIA are planted near temples, some of which can be several hundred years old. Nikkō’s famous Avenue of Cedars with a length of 37 km still exists.