''Chamaecyparis'', common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related cypresses), is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of conifers in the cypress

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cupressaceae, native to eastern Asia (

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

) 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

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s growing from tall, with foliage in flat sprays. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

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

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Species

* '' Chamaecyparis formosensis'' Matsum. –

* '' Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'' (A.Murray) Parl., Port Orford cedar or Lawson cypress –

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, Washington * ''

Chamaecyparis obtusa ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate climate, temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber ...

'' (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. –

* '' Chamaecyparis pisifera'' (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. –

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

* '' Chamaecyparis taiwanensis'' Masam. & Suzuki – Taiwan * '' Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (L.) Britton, Atlantic white cedar (among other names) – Eastern United States (

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

) '' Chamaecyparis taiwanensis'' is treated by many authors as a variety of ''C. obtusa'' (as ''C. obtusa'' var. ''formosana''). Genus '' Fokienia'' is not always recognized as a separate genus from ''Chamaecyparis'', in which case ''Chamaecyparis hodginsii'' (='' Fokienia hodginsii'') should be added to the above list. On the other hand, a species which used to be included in this genus, as '' Chamaecyparis nootkatensis'', had been transferred on the basis of strong genetic and morphological evidence to the separate genus '' Xanthocyparis'' as '' Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'' in the early 2000s. After further phylogenetic work the species was moved to the monotypic genus '' Callitropsis nootkatensis'', being sister to the genus '' Hesperocyparis'', and both genera forming a clade with ''Xanthocyparis'' as its sister. There are also several species described from the

fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

including: *†'' Chamaecyparis eureka'' – Middle

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

, Axel Heiberg Island, Canada. *†'' Chamaecyparis linguaefolia'' – Early-Middle

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, USA. *†''Chamaecyparis ravenscragensis'' – (=''Fokienia ravenscragensis''), if genus ''Fokienia'' is not recognized. ''Chamaecyparis'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including juniper pug and pine beauty.

Cultivation and uses

Four species (''C. lawsoniana, C. obtusa, C. pisifera'', and ''C. thyoides'') are of considerable importance as ornamental trees in horticulture; several hundred

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s 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.

References

* Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. . * Hwang, S.-Y., Lin, H.-W., Kuo, Y.-S., & Lin, T.-P. (2001). RAPD variation in relation to population differentiation of Chamaecyparis formosensis and Chamaecyparis taiwanensis. ''Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin''. 42: 173–179. Availabl
online
(pdf file). {{Authority control Conifer genera