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.

CUPRESSUS

CYPRESS

Large shrub, tree, often pyramidal in youth, monoecious
Stem: young shoots generally cylindric (sometimes 4-angled or flat), generally arrayed in 3-dimensional clusters
Leaves opposite, 4-ranked, scale-like, closely appressed, overlapping
Pollen cone generally yellow
Seed cone 6–50 mm, woody, ± spheric to widely cylindric, maturing 1st or 2nd year, often closed > 2 years; scales 6–12, peltate, abutting, shield- or wedge-shaped; projection often present, small, pointed, generally less visible in age
Seeds 2–many per scale, flat, winged; cotyledons 2–5
Chromosomes: 2n=22 for all reports
Species in genus: ± 22 species: w North America, Eurasia
Etymology: (Latin: cypress)
Reference: [Wolf 1948 Aliso 1:1–250]

Native

C. sargentii Jeps.

SARGENT CYPRESS

Tree (2)10–20 m
Stem: bark fibrous, thick, gray or dark brown to ± black; young shoots 1.5–2 mm diam, cylindric to 4-sided
Leaf dull, dusty green to grayish green, glaucous or not
Pollen cone 3–4 mm, 2 mm diam, 4-sided to cylindric; scales generally 10–12; pollen sacs 3–4 per scale
Seed cone 15–30 mm, spheric, rough-surfaced, dull brown to gray, scales 6–10, projection inconspicuous
Seed 5–6 mm, dark brown, generally glaucous; attachment scar generally conspicuous
Ecology: Closed-cone-pine/cypress, yellow-pine forests, chaparral, serpentine
Elevation: 200–1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: North Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, South Coast Ranges
Horticultural information: DRN: 3, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 24 &IRR: 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.