Japanese cedar, Sugi

Description:

Surprising find. It's a Sugi, Japan's national tree, which can grow taller than 200 feet and live thousands of years. This is a small one, planted near the Mississippi State Capitol, so perhaps it was a diplomatic gift. Sugis are sacred trees, found at temple sites, but they're also planted for their timber.

Notes:

From Wikipedia:

Cryptomeria, meaning "hidden parts," is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family. It includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica. It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi. The tree is often called Japanese cedar in English, though the tree is not related to true cedars.

From Botany Boy Plant Encyclopedia:

This is one of the most distinctive Japanese trees. For one thing, it is the tallest and most massive tree species in Japan being a close relative to redwoods and sequoias. Culturally it is also significant in several ways. It is the national tree of Japan and large specimens are often seen at temples. Many of these are considered to house a god, or kami-sama. They are sometimes ringed by a shimenawa -- a braided rice straw rope that denotes a sacred place and is a kind of protection against evil entering. Such trees are considered shrines in and of themselves.

The most celebrated sugi trees are found on Yaku Island just south of Kyushu. Here grow the largest sugi in the world, the so called yakusugi, with the Jomon Sugi being the most celebrated. Speculation about the age of these ancient trees varies widely, but the most likely number would be between 1000-3000 years old. Another stand of old growth sugi grow on Wakasuiyama (Young Cedar Mountain). This forest contains trees in excess of a thousand years old and many are centuries old.

It also is one of the most important timber species in the country, especially in the south.

The pollen cones (male) and seed cones (female) are born separately, but on the same tree (monoecious habit). The yellow-brown pollen cones grow in bunches on the outermost twigs and are roughly conical shaped and are only a centimeter or so long each. The seed cones start out growing bright green and eventually turn a rich brown at maturity. The male cones release their pollen starting in February in Kyushu and perhaps until May further north. In pollen season the air can literally be filled with sugi pollen, much like a dust storm.