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Chamaecyparis
Also called False Cypress, Cedar, White Cedar
Chamaecyparis, the false-cypresses (to distinguish it from related true 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 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 trees growing from 20–70 m (66–230 ft) tall, with foliage in flat sprays. The leaves 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 pairs; each scale bears 2-4 small seeds.
Four species (C. lawsoniana, C. obtusa, C. pisifera, and C. thyoides) are of considerable importance as ornamental trees 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.
Formosan Cypress · Lawson's Cypress · Hinoki Cypress · Sawara Cypress · Taiwan Yellow Cedar · White Cypress
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chamaecyparis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
