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. macnabiana A. Murray

MCNAB CYPRESS

Shrub 3–10 m (rarely tree 10–18 m)
Stem: bark fibrous, gray; young shoots < 1 mm diam, ± 4-sided, arrayed in flat clusters
Leaf blue- to dull gray-green to gray, pungent-scented; resin copious, sticky when fresh
Pollen cone 2–3 mm, 2 mm diam; scales generally 8; pollen sacs 3–5 per scale
Seed cone 15–25 mm, generally longer than wide, gray to red-brown; scales generally 6, projection prominent, 2–4 mm, conic, pointing upward to incurved
Seed 2–5 mm, medium to glaucous brown; attachment scar conspicuous
Ecology: Dry slopes, flats, chaparral, pine/oak woodlands, often on serpentine
Elevation: 300–850 m.
Bioregional distribution: Inner North Coast Ranges, High Cascade Range, n Sierra Nevada Foothills
Horticultural information: 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24; CVS.