Microbiota
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| Microbiota decussata Kom. |
Microbiota is a genus of evergreen coniferous shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Microbiota decussata. It is native to a limited area of the Sikhote-Alin mountains in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East. It was discovered in 1923 but political secrecy in the former Soviet Union prevented any knowledge of its existence outside the Soviet Union for about 50 years. It has never acquired a common English name, though Siberian Cypress has been proposed.
Although generally accepted as being a distinct genus, it has been suggested that Microbiota could be included in the closely related genus Platycladus, but this is not widely followed. Other fairly close relatives are the genera Juniperus and Cupressus.
It is a small, low-growing shrub growing to 20-50 cm tall and 2-5 m spread. The foliage forms in flat sprays with scale-like leaves 2-4 mm long. The cones are among the smallest of any conifer, 2-3 mm long, green ripening brown in about 8 months from pollination, and have 4 scales arranged in two opposite pairs. The seeds are 2 mm long, with no wing; there is usually only one seed in each cone, rarely two.
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[edit] Uses
Microbiota is grown as an ornamental plant for ground cover, valued for its considerable winter cold tolerance.
