The Cypresses

The cypresses are conifers belonging to the closely allied genera, Cupressus and Chamaecyparis; members of the family Cupressaceae. They are characteristically mid- to large-sized trees having a scented, durable wood (about 25 species).

Chamaecyparis species are distinguished from Cupressus species by the fact that their cones are always less than 10 mm in diameter and contain less than 50 seeds, and these ripen and are shed usually within 12 months, but at the most 18 months. In Cupressus, the cones are bigger and take almost two full years to ripen, and the seed is often held within the cones for 12 months or more before being shed.

There are 6 species of Chamaecyparis:

• 3 American (lawsoniana, thyoides, nootkatensis)
• 3 Asian (formosensis, obtusa, pisifera).

The most important timber trees are Ch. lawsoniana (lawsons) from western USA, Ch. nootkatensis (yellow cypress) from Canada and Alaska, and Ch. obtusa (Hinoki) from Japan. Only Ch. lawsoniana has been widely planted in New Zealand, mainly as shelterbelts, but there are some older timber stands around. The other species have been planted only as specimen trees.

There are 19 species of Cupressus:

• 11 American (lusitanica, abramsiana, arizonica, bakeri, glabra, goveniana, pygmaea, guadalupensis, macnabiana, macrocarpa, sargentii)
• 4 Chinese (chengiana, duclouxiana,, funebris, gigantea)
• 3 India (cashmeriana, hialaica, torulosa)
• 1 European (sempervirens)

Except for lusitanica and arizonica, the American species all come from small natural populations, mostly well isolated from one another. C. sempervirens is found from Portugal to as far east as Russia and northern Iran.