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''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'', known as Port Orford cedar or Lawson cypress, is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...
in the genus ''
Chamaecyparis ''Chamaecyparis'', common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related 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 t ...
'', family
Cupressaceae Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioeci ...
. It is
native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
to
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
and northwestern California, and grows from sea level up to in the valleys of the Klamath Mountains, often along streams.


Description

A large
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
, specimens mature up to tall or more, with trunks in diameter, exceptionally . The
bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, e ...
is silver-brown, vertically furrowed, and thick near the base. The foliage is arranged in lacy, flat sprays with a feathery appearance, usually somewhat
glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...
(i.e. blue-green) in color. The leaves are scale-like, long, with narrow white markings on the underside, and produced on somewhat flattened shoots. The foliage gives off a rather pungent scent, not unlike
parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, ...
. The seed cones are globose, in diameter, with 6–10 scales, green at first, maturing brown in early fall, 6–8 months after
pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an Stamen, anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by Anemophily, wind. Pollinating agents can ...
. The male cones are long, dark red, turning brown after pollen release in early spring. The seeds fall quickly and can float on water. Old specimens lack branches near the base and often have dead tops. They can live up to about 600 years of age.


Taxonomy

The species was first discovered (by European Americans) near Port Orford, Oregon, and introduced into cultivation in 1854 by collectors working for Charles Lawson
FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
of the Lawson & Son nursery in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland, after whom it was named as Lawson Cypress by the describing botanist Andrew Murray. The
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
officially calls it by the name Port Orford cedar, as do most people in its native area, but some botanists prefer to use the name Lawson cypress (or in very rare instances Port Orford cypress) instead. The name "Lawson's cypress" is widely used in horticulture.


Distribution and habitat

The species is
native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
to southwestern
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
and northwestern California, and grows from sea level up to in the valleys of the Klamath Mountains, often along streams. It fares best at the north end of its range.


Ecology

The thick bark provides resistance to wildfires, and the species regenerates well on disrupted land in a variety of soils, but requires consistent moisture. It is
shade tolerant In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's ability to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes imprecise, especially in labeling of plants for sale in commercial ...
, but not so much so as competing species western hemlock and white fir. The old-growth population near
Coos Bay Coos Bay is an estuary where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, the estuary is approximately 12 miles long and up to two miles wide. It is the largest estuary completely within Oregon state lines. The Coos Bay watershed covers an area of abou ...
, Oregon, was wiped out by logging and wildfires in 1867–1868, and again by fire and root disease in 1936.


Disease

In the wild, the species is seriously and uniquely threatened by a root disease caused by the oomycete pathogen, '' Phytophthora lateralis'', accidentally introduced in the early 1950s following the fungus's arrival to the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...
on nursery trees. This disease is also a problem for horticultural plantings in some parts of North America. The tree is sometimes killed, though less often, by other species of '' Phytophthora''. ''Phytophthora lateralis'' infection begins when mycelium, from a germinated spore, invade the roots. The infection then spreads through the inner bark and cambium around the base of the tree. Spread up the trunk is generally limited. Infected tissue dies and effectively girdles the tree. Large trees are more likely to be infected than small trees due to larger root areas (although all trees at the edges of infected streams will eventually succumb). However, large trees can often live with the infections for a longer duration (up to several years). ''C. lawsoniana'' in streamside populations are highly susceptible to ''P. lateralis'' infection. However, the rate of fungal spread through populations in dry upland areas appears to be slow. ''P. lateralis'' spreads through water via mobile spores ( zoospores). The fungus also produces resting spores (
chlamydospore A chlamydospore is the thick-walled large resting spore of several kinds of fungi, including Ascomycota such as '' Candida'', Basidiomycota such as '' Panus'', and various Mortierellales species. It is the life-stage which survives in unfavourable ...
s) that can persist in soil for a long period of time. New infections generally begin when soil is transferred from an infected population to a non-infected population via water, human or animal movement. After initial infection in streamside populations, secondary spread via zoospores quickly infects all downstream individuals. Human facilitated spread is thought to be responsible for most new, and all long-distance, infections. Soil on vehicle tires, especially logging trucks and other off-road vehicles, is considered the most pressing problem due to the volume of soil that can be carried and the traffic rate in and between susceptible areas. Spread on boots and mountain bike tires has also been suggested and probably contributes to new infections locally. Animal-facilitated spread is thought to occur, but is localized. The
United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Nationa ...
and
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's ...
attempt to prevent ''Phytophthora'' spread through road closures, monitoring, research and education. Research has focused on determining the dynamics and mechanisms of spread, as well as attempts to breed resistant trees. One solution against ''Phytophtera'' is known generically as Mancozeb and also commercially known as Dithane (C). Commercial preparations of the parasitic fungus ''
Pythium oligandrum ''Pythium oligandrum'' is an oomycete. It is a parasite of many fungi and other oomycetes including ''Botrytis'', ''Fusarium'' and ''Phytophthora''. It has been licensed as a biocontrol agent in the form of an oospore soil treatment, which redu ...
'' are licensed for pest control, and documented to predate many species of ''Phytophthora''.


Similar species

The extinct
Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...
species ''
Chamaecyparis eureka ''Chamaecyparis eureka'' is an extinct species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is known from fossil foliage found in the Buchanan Lake Formation deposits, dated to the middle Eocene Lutetian stage (), from western Axel Heiberg Isla ...
'', known from fossils found on
Axel Heiberg Island Axel Heiberg Island ( iu, ᐅᒥᖕᒪᑦ ᓄᓈᑦ, ) is an uninhabited island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in the Arctic Ocean, it is the 32nd largest island in the world and Canada's seventh largest island. Accordin ...
in Canada, is noted as resembling ''C. lawsoniana'' and '' C. pisifera''. The associated genus ''
Calocedrus ''Calocedrus'', the incense cedar (alternatively spelled incense-cedar), is a genus of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae first described as a genus in 1873. It is native to eastern Asia and western North America. The generic n ...
'' (incense-cedar) has thick orange-brown bark and the bark of '' Thuja plicata'' (western redcedar) is comparatively thin; both have different foliage than Port Orford cedar.


Cultivation

''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'' thrives best in well-drained but moist soils, in a fairly sheltered position in full sun. Several hundred named
cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
of varying crown shape, growth rates and foliage color have been selected for planting in parks and gardens. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
(UK) the following have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
(confirmed 2017):


Uses

The species was discovered by Euro-Americans in the 1850s. The
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
is light yet has great strength and rot resistance, even after long exposure to salt water. Its properties resemble those of yellow-cedar, but was historically more available in the region. On shores lacking docks, logs were transported via high-line cable directly onto ship decks. It was valued for boatbuilding. The species was important to Oregon's lumber industry until the 1950s when it was crippled by disease. It was preferred for storage battery cell separation, Venetian blinds, and other uses. Quality specimens eventually began to be shipped almost exclusively to
East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...
, where it is highly valued. Large amounts have been exported to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
where it is used in making coffins, shrines, and temples. Its
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
is known for its highly fragrant ginger aroma, caused by an oil which repulses decay and insects, including termites; this oil has been used as an
insecticide Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed t ...
. Due to the straightness of its
grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
, it is also one of the preferred woods for the manufacture of arrow shafts. It is also considered an acceptable, though not ideal, wood for construction of aircraft. The wood is considered more than acceptable for use in stringed instruments. Its fine grain, good strength and tonal quality are highly regarded for soundboards in guitar making.


Gallery

File:LawsonsCypress.jpg, Foliage with cones: immature seed cones below, pollen cones above File:Lawson cypress male cones.jpg, Male cones in spring with diagnostic red colour File:Chamaecyparis lawsoniana.jpg, Mature female cones File:Chamaecyparis lawsoniana imbricata pendula 01.jpg, Cultivar 'Imbricata Pendula', Rosemoor, Devon, UK


See also

* Cedar wood


References

*Snyder, Gary. 1999. "The Gary Snyder Reader". Counterpoint.


Further reading

* Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1de+2e v2.3) *Siskiyou National Forest has posted precautions for persons entering areas with Port Orford Cedar populations

. * *Hunt, J. 1959
''Phytophthora lateralis'' on Port-Orford-cedar.
''Research Note'' 172: 1–6. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. * *Torgeson, D. C., Young, R. A., & Milbrath, J. A. 1954. ''Phytophthora'' root rot diseases of Lawson cypress and other ornamentals. ''Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin''. 537: 1–18. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State College. * * *Zobel, D. B., Roth, L. F., & Hawk, G. M. 1985. Ecology, pathology, and management of ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana''. ''General Technical Report''. PNW-184: 1–161. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. *


External links


Jepson Manual treatment for ''Cupressus lawsoniana''
* {{Authority control Chamaecyparis, lawsoniana Trees of the Southwestern United States Trees of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Klamath Mountains Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Garden plants of North America Ornamental trees