落羽松

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      我們經常把針葉樹和常綠樹劃上等號，可是有兩個比較知名的例外。一個是原生於四川、雲南一帶的水杉；另外一個，則是原生於美國密西西比河流域南段，也是屬於杉科,被稱為 Swamp Cypress 或是 Bald Cypress。 其實 Swamp Cypress 的葉子和水杉很像,只是葉針略為修長一些。雖然它並不是松樹,可是中國人給它取了一個很美麗的名字,叫做「落羽松」。這兩個樹種都是古老的孑遺物種。

      離我住的地方大約十分鐘車程的地方，有一座比較少為人知的公園，裡邊有一個小湖。多年以前，我有一次漫步經過的時候,發現小湖的一個區域,長了一群與眾不同的樹。我懷疑它們是落羽松,回家查資料之後證實是落羽松。 那年的秋、冬之際,我特地重游舊地,捕捉下了落羽松著秋樁的倩影。您不妨閉上眼睛,想像一下那些彩色的羽毛,隨風飄落的情景。上個週末，我又再度造訪那個小湖，拍了幾張落羽松的秋妝。在其中第三張裡面，可以看到它的果實和其他杉科的果實形狀類似。

       說到杉科，就得提一下：根據近年來對 DNA 的研究結果，植物學界已經決定把杉科取消，併入柏科了。所以像巒大杉、柳杉、和台灣杉等等樹種，都得改名為巒大伯、柳伯、和台灣伯了。

(只是開玩笑的。新的柏科裡面，還是設有幾個杉亞科，來收容原來杉科的前朝遺民。)

       Many friends probably have heard the principle of “Coniferous trees are evergreen”.  Although this is a good principle, there are still a small number of exceptions.  Among them, two are better known.  One is native to the southwestern China, and is called Dawn Redwood.  Its Chinese name is水杉, literally meaning “Aquatic Cypress”.  The other exception is native to swamp lands in the southern tribute of Mississippi River and near the southeast coast of USA.  It is called Swamp Cypress or Bald Cypress.  Its leaf resembles that of Dawn Redwood, only with needles being slenderer.  Nonetheless, Chinese people give it a beautiful name,  落羽松, which literally means “Pine of Falling Feathers”, even though the tree is not a pine.

       In the City of Fremont where I live, there is a district called “Nile”, where there is a park with a lake.  One day when I strolled by, I noticed that in an area of the lake grows a kind of tree of some uniqueness.  I suspected that it is Swamp Cypress.  After going home, I checked some references and confirmed the suspicion.  At the juncture between autumn and winter that year, I revisited the park and captured the tree’s image in its autumnal dress.  It can be nice closing your eyes and imagining those colorful feathers gliding down with the wind.