CUPRESSACEAE

CYPRESS FAMILY

Jim A. Bartel

Shrub, tree, evergreen, monoecious or dioecious
Leaves cauline, opposite and 4-ranked or whorled in 3's and 6-ranked, generally scale-like, decurrent, completely covering young stems
Pollen cone small, axillary or terminal
Seed cone ± fleshy to woody, generally hard at maturity; scales opposite or whorled
Seeds 1–many per scale, generally angled or winged, generally wind-dispersed
Genera in family: 17 genera, ± 120 species: worldwide; all North America genera cultivated
Reference: [Elias 1980 Complete Trees North America]
Juvenile leaves needle- or awl-like, sometimes present in ± mature plants, especially in response to grazing or infection, especially in Cupressus, Juniperus.

CALOCEDRUS

INCENSE CEDAR

Tree, generally widely conic, monoecious
Stem: young shoots very flat, in flat clusters
Leaves opposite, 4-ranked, appearing whorled in 4's, scale-like, closely appressed, overlapping, exposed part longer than wide; leaf bases elongated on smallest shoots
Seed cone ± pendent, woody, ± oblong, maturing 1st year; scales in 3 partially overlapping pairs, middle pair fertile
Seeds 2 per fertile scale, flat, unequally 2-winged; cotyledons 2
Species in genus: 3 species: w North America, e Asia
Etymology: (Greek: beautiful cedar)

Native

C. decurrens (Torr.) Florin

Tree 20–50 m
Stem: trunk < 6 m diam, tapered from wide base; bark 1–2.5+ cm thick, fibrous, cinnamon-red; lower branches down-curved
Leaf 3–10 mm
Pollen cone 5–7 mm, oblong, light yellow
Seed cone 18–25 mm, light red-brown
Seed 8–12 mm, ± yellow to red-brown, maturing autumn
Ecology: Common. Mixed-evergreen, yellow-pine forests
Elevation: 350–2500 m.
Bioregional distribution: Klamath Ranges, North Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, South Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Modoc Plateau
Distribution outside California: Oregon, w Nevada, n Baja California
Synonyms: Libocedrus d. Torr
Horticultural information: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17 IRR: 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; CVS.