Cypress is a common name for various coniferous 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 intellig ...

''cipres'', which was imported from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...

''cypressus'', the latinisation of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

κυπάρισσος (''

kyparissos In Greek mythology, Cyparissus or Kyparissos (Ancient Greek: Κυπάρισσος, "cypress") was a boy beloved by Apollo or in some versions by other deities. In the best-known version of the story, the favorite companion of Cyparissus was a tam ...

''). 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 ''Widdringtonia'' is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). The name was Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher's way of honouring an early expert on the coniferous forests of Spain, Capt. Samuel Edward Widdrington (1787� ...

'' species), native to Southern Africa *Bald, Pond, and Montezuma cypresses (''

Taxodium ''Taxodium'' is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. The generic name is derived from the Latin word ''taxus'', meaning "yew", and the Greek ...

'' species), native to North America *Chinese swamp cypress (''

Glyptostrobus pensilis ''Glyptostrobus pensilis'', known in Chinese as 水松 (Shuǐ sōng), and also Chinese swamp cypress, is an endangered conifer, and the sole living species in the genus ''Glyptostrobus''. Description It is a medium-sized to large tree, reaching ...

''), Vietnam, critically endangered *Cordilleran cypress ('' Austrocedrus chilensis''), native to Chile and Argentina *Cypress-pines ('' Actinostrobus'' species), southwestern Australia *Cypress-pines ('' Callitris'' species), Australia and New Caledonia *False cypress ('' Chamaecyparis'' species), Asia and North America. *Fujian cypress (''

Fokienia hodginsii ''Fokienia'' is a genus of conifer tree belonging to the cypress family. In its characteristics, ''Fokienia'' is intermediate between the genera of ''Chamaecyparis'' and ''Calocedrus''. Genetically ''Fokienia'' is much closer to ''Chamaecyparis'' ...

''), southeastern China *Guaitecas cypress (''

Pilgerodendron uviferum ''Pilgerodendron'' is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, ''Pilgerodendron uviferum'', which is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Ch ...

''), western

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

and

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

*Japanese cypress ('' Chamaecyparis obtusa''), East Asia *Patagonian cypress (''

Fitzroya cupressoides ''Fitzroya'' is a monotypic genus in the cypress family. The single living species, ''Fitzroya cupressoides'', is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains and coastal of southern Chile, and only to the Andes mountains Argentina, ...

''), southern Chile and Argentina *Mediterranean cypress ('' Cupressus sempervirens''), famous for its longevity, popular garden plant *Monterey cypress ('' Cupressus macrocarpa''), native to the

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach. History Monterey Monterey was founded i ...

, 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 ''Bassia scoparia'' is a large annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae ('' sensu lato'') native to Eurasia. It has been introduced to many parts of North America,

''), 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 it ...

*Western red cedar (''

Thuja plicata ''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae, w ...

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

'' File:Chamaecyparis Pisifera bonsai.JPG, '' Chamaecyparis pisifera'', bonsai File:Lone Cypress Sunset.JPG, '' Cupressus macrocarpa'',

, 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, ''

'' File:Fitzroya cupressoides (da Silvio Rossi).jpg, ''

'' File:Glyptostrobus pensilis 2007.06.28 10.10.35-p6280031.jpg, ''

'' foliage File:Pilgerodendron uviferum.jpg, ''

'' File:Taxodium ascendens in the Black Water, Okefenokee.jpg, ''

Taxodium ascendens ''Taxodium ascendens'', also known as pond cypress, is a deciduous conifer of the genus '' Taxodium'', native to North America. Many botanists treat it as a variety of bald cypress, '' Taxodium distichum'' (as ''T. distichum'' var. ''imbricatum'' ...

'',

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee ...

, 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