''Chamaecyparis'', common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

es), is a genus of

conifers 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 extan ...

in the cypress family

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdio ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Asia (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and Taiwan) and to the western and eastern margins of the United States. The name is derived from the Greek ''khamai'' (χαμαί), meaning "on the earth", and ''kuparissos'' (κυπάρισσος) for "cypress". They are medium-sized to large evergreen trees growing from tall, with foliage in flat sprays. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are of two types, needle-like juvenile leaves on young seedlings up to a year old, and scale-like adult leaves. The cones are globose to oval, with 8-14 scales arranged in opposite

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named aft ...

pairs; each scale bears 2-4 small seeds. ;Species # '' Chamaecyparis formosensis'' Matsum. - Taiwan # '' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'' (A.Murray) Parl., Port Orford cedar or Lawson cypress - California, Oregon, Washington # ''

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 orna ...

'' (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. -

# ''

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 ...

'' (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. - Honshu,

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

# ''

Chamaecyparis taiwanensis ''Chamaecyparis taiwanensis'' (Taiwan cypress; ) is a species of cypress, native to the mountains of Taiwan, where it grows at altitudes of 1300–2800 m.Rushforth, K. (1987). ''Conifers''. Helm . Description It is a slow-growing coniferous tr ...

'' Masam. & Suzuki - Taiwan # '' Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (L.) Britton, Atlantic white cedar (among other names) - Eastern United States ( Mississippi to Maine) ''

'' is treated by many authors as a variety of ''C. obtusa'' (as ''C. obtusa'' var. ''formosana''). Genus '' Fokienia'' is not always recognized as a separate genus from ''Chamaecyparis'', in which case ''Chamaecyparis hodginsii'' (=''

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'' ...

'') should be added to the above list. On the other hand, a species which used to be included in this genus, as '' Chamaecyparis nootkatensis'', had been transferred on the basis of strong genetic and morphological evidence to the separate genus '' Xanthocyparis'' as ''

Xanthocyparis nootkatensis ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'', formerly known as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' (syn. ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'') is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many ...

'' in the early 2000s. After further phylogenetic work the species was moved to the monotypic genus '' Callitropsis nootkatensis'', being sister to the genus '' Hesperocyparis'', and both genera forming a clade with ''Xanthocyparis'' as its sister. There are also several species described from the fossil record including: *†''

Chamaecyparis eureka ''Chamaecyparis eureka'' is an extinct species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is known from fossil foliage found in the Buchanan Lake Formation deposits, dated to the middle Eocene Lutetian stage (), from western Axel Heiberg Island, ...

'' Middle Eocene,

Axel Heiberg Island Axel Heiberg Island ( iu, ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᓄᓈᑦ, ) is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Arctic Ocean, it is the 32nd largest island in the world and Canada's seventh largest island. According ...

, Canada. *†''

Chamaecyparis linguaefolia ''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 th ...

'' Early-Middle

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

, Colorado, USA. *†''Chamaecyparis ravenscragensis'' (=''Fokienia ravenscragensis''), if genus ''Fokienia'' is not recognized. ''Chamaecyparis'' species are used as food plants by the larva of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species, including juniper pug and

pine beauty The pine beauty (''Panolis flammea'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common species of pine woods in Europe. The distribution area extends from the west of Catalonia over southern France, central Italy, central Europe to western Si ...

Cultivation and uses

Four species (''C. lawsoniana, C. obtusa, C. pisifera'', and ''C. thyoides'') are of considerable importance as

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s in horticulture; several hundred cultivars have been selected for various traits, including dwarf size, yellow, blue, silvery or variegated foliage, permanent retention of juvenile leaves, and thread-like shoots with reduced branching. In some areas, cultivation is limited by '' Phytophthora'' root rot diseases, with ''C. lawsoniana'' being particularly susceptible to ''P. lateralis''. The wood is scented, and is highly valued, particularly in Japan, where it is used for temple construction.

References

* Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. . * Hwang, S.-Y., Lin, H.-W., Kuo, Y.-S., & Lin, T.-P. (2001). RAPD variation in relation to population differentiation of Chamaecyparis formosensis and Chamaecyparis taiwanensis. ''Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin''. 42: 173–179. Availabl
online
(pdf file). {{Taxonbar, from=Q147791 Conifer genera