''Chamaecyparis formosensis'' (Formosan cypress, Taiwan cypress, Taiwan red cypress; Chinese: 紅檜/红桧 ''hóngguì, Taiwan pron. hóngkuài'') is a species of ''

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 o ...

'',

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

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 ...

, where it grows in the central mountains at moderate to high altitudes of 1000–2900 m. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and over-cutting for its valuable timber.Flora of China
''Chamaecyparis formosensis''

Growth

It is a slow-growing, but long-lived and ultimately large to very large

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

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 ...

growing to 55–60 m tall with a trunk up to 7 m in diameter. The

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * 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) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

is red-brown, vertically fissured and with a stringy texture. The foliage is arranged in flat sprays; adult

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 scale-like, 1–3 mm long, with pointed tips, green both above and below with only an inconspicuous

stoma In botany, a stoma (: stomata, from Greek language, Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth"), also called a stomate (: stomates), is a pore found in the Epidermis (botany), epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exc ...

tal band at the base of each scale-leaf; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs on the shoots. The juvenile leaves, found on young seedlings, are needle-like, 4–8 mm long, soft and glaucous bluish-green. The

cones In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

are ovoid-oblong, 6–12 mm long and 4–8 mm diameter, with 8–16 scales arranged in opposite pairs, maturing in autumn about 7–8 months after pollination. Chamaecyparis formosensis karlostachys 2.jpg, Stringy bark. 紅檜 (比扁柏分枝多) 1 Chamaecyparis formosensis.jpg, Foliage and pollen cones.

Related species

It is most closely related to the Japanese ''

Chamaecyparis pisifera ''Chamaecyparis pisifera'' (Sawara cypress or Sawara ) is a species of false cypress, native to central and southern Japan, on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū.Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Ga ...

'' (sawara cypress), which differs in smaller globose cones 4–8 mm long with 6–10 scales.

Characteristics

The

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

is soft, very resistant to decay, and strongly scented; it is highly valued in traditional Taiwanese building, particularly for

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

s and

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

s. This has led to excessive harvesting, resulting in the species now being endangered. A small number of the oldest and largest specimens are protected as national monuments, but much of the general population of the species still remains unprotected. Essential oil distilled from its wood is uniquely scented and highly valued.

Notable examples

Sacred Tree of Alishan

The Sacred Tree of Alishan was a 3,000-year-old Taiwan red cypress which died from a lightning strike in 1956. The trunk remained standing until 1998. Due to its sacred status it was left alone by the Japanese when they deforested the surrounding area.

References

External links

Conifers Around the World: ''Chamaecyparis formosensis - Taiwan sawara cypress''

Localities of Chamaecyparis formosensis
{{Authority control formosensis Endemic flora of Taiwan Trees of Taiwan Endangered flora of Asia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot