Cypress is a common name for various

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...

ous trees or shrubs of northern

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

''cipres'', which was imported from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''cypressus'', the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος ('' kyparissos''). Cypress trees are a large classification of conifers, encompassing the trees and shrubs from the cypress family (Cupressaceae) and many others with the word “cypress” in their common name. Many cypress trees have needle-like, evergreen foliage and acorn-like seed cones.

Species

Species that are commonly known as cypresses include: Most prominently: *Cypress (multiple species within the genus '' Cupressus'') Otherwise: *African cypress ('' Widdringtonia'' species), native to Southern Africa *Bald, Pond, and Montezuma cypresses ('' Taxodium'' species), native to North America *Chinese swamp cypress ('' Glyptostrobus pensilis''), Vietnam, critically endangered *Cordilleran cypress (''

Austrocedrus chilensis ''Austrocedrus'' is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It has only one species, ''Austrocedrus chilensis'', native to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and the adjacent drier steppe-forests of central-southern ...

''), native to Chile and Argentina *Cypress-pines ('' Actinostrobus'' species), southwestern Australia *Cypress-pines ('' Callitris'' species), Australia and New Caledonia *False cypress (''

Chamaecyparis ''Chamaecyparis'', common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related cypresses), is a genus of conifers in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to eastern Asia (Japan and Taiwan) and to the western and eastern margins of t ...

'' species), Asia and North America. *Fujian cypress ('' Fokienia hodginsii''), southeastern China *Guaitecas cypress ('' Pilgerodendron uviferum''), western Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego *Japanese cypress (''

Chamaecyparis obtusa ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and or ...

''), East Asia *Patagonian cypress ('' Fitzroya cupressoides''), southern Chile and Argentina *Mediterranean cypress ('' Cupressus sempervirens''), famous for its longevity, popular garden plant *Monterey cypress ('' Cupressus macrocarpa''), native to the Monterey Peninsula, California *Nootka cypress ('' Cupressus nootkatensis''), native to the Pacific Northwest of North America *Siberian cypress (''

Microbiota decussata ''Microbiota'' is a monotypic genus of evergreen coniferous shrubs in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, ''Microbiota decussata'' (Siberian carpet cypress, Russian arbor-vitae). The plant is native and endemic to a limi ...

'') *Summer cypress ('' Bassia scoparia''), in the family

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making i ...

*Western red cedar ('' Thuja plicata''), native to North America. The family Cupressaceae also contains 13–16 other genera (not listed above) that do not bear ''cypress'' in their common names. File:Actinostrobos arenarius fruits murchison.JPG, ''

Actinostrobus arenarius ''Actinostrobus arenarius'' is a species of conifer in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. Its common names include sandplain cypress,Eckenwalder, J.E. 2009. ''Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference''. Timber Press. p. 123 Bruce cypress, Br ...

'' File:Austrocedrus chilensis por pabloendemico - 001.jpg, ''

'' File:Slender Cypress-pine.jpg, ''

Callitris preissii ''Callitris preissii'' is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae, endemic to Rottnest Island, Australia. Common names include Rottnest Island pine, Murray pine, maroong, southern cypress pine, or slender cypress pine. The Noongar peopl ...

'' File:Chamaecyparis Pisifera bonsai.JPG, ''

Chamaecyparis pisifera ''Chamaecyparis pisifera'' (Sawara cypress or Sawara ja, サワラ , translit=Sawara) is a species of false cypress, native to central and southern Japan, on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū.Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and ...

'',

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of '' penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produc ...

File:Lone Cypress Sunset.JPG, '' Cupressus macrocarpa'', Monterey Peninsula, California File:Nootka Cypress.jpg, '' Cupressus nootkatensis'' File:Flickr - lo.tangelini - i.jpg, '' Cupressus sempervirens'' (Mediterranean Cypress),

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

File:Fokienia hodginsii - Kunming Botanical Garden - DSC03140.JPG, '' Fokienia hodginsii'' File:Fitzroya cupressoides (da Silvio Rossi).jpg, '' Fitzroya cupressoides'' File:Glyptostrobus pensilis 2007.06.28 10.10.35-p6280031.jpg, '' Glyptostrobus pensilis'' foliage File:Pilgerodendron uviferum.jpg, '' Pilgerodendron uviferum'' File:Taxodium ascendens in the Black Water, Okefenokee.jpg, '' Taxodium ascendens'', Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia (USA) File:Widdringtonia whytei Mulanje Malawi.jpg, ''

Widdringtonia whytei ''Widdringtonia whytei'', the Mulanje cedar or Mulanje cypress, is a species of conifer 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 ...

'', Malawi

References

{{Plant common name Cupressaceae Symbols of Hades

Species

See also

References