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''Callitropsis nootkatensis'', formerly known as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' ( syn. ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis''), is a species of tree in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many common names including: Nootka cypress, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress, Nootka cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, and Alaska yellow cedar. The specific epithet ''nootkatensis'' is derived from the species being from the area of
Nootka Sound Nootka Sound () is a sound of the Pacific Ocean on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, in the Pacific Northwest, historically known as King George's Sound. It separates Vancouver Island and Nootka Island, part of the Canadian province of ...
on the west coast of
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Both locations are named for the older European name Nootka, given the
Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth ( ; ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tri ...
First Nation.


Description

''Callitropsis nootkatensis'' is an
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 ...
conifer 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 ...
growing up to tall, exceptionally , with diameters up to . 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 thin, smooth and purplish when young, turning flaky and gray. The branches are commonly pendulous, with foliage in flat sprays and dark green scale-leaves measuring long. 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, ...
, maturing biannually, have 4 (occasionally 6) scales, and resemble the cones of ''
Cupressus lusitanica ''Hesperocyparis lusitanica'', the Mexican cypress, cedar-of-Goa or Goa cedar, is a species of Cupressaceae, cypress native to Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras). It has also been introduced to Belize, Costa Rica a ...
'' (another species which can show foliage in flat sprays), except being somewhat smaller, typically in diameter; each scale has a pointed triangular bract about 1.5–2 mm long, again similar to other ''
Cupressus ''Cupressus'' (common name cypress) is one of several genus, genera of evergreen conifers within the Family (biology), family Cupressaceae; for the others, see cypress. It is considered a Polyphyly, polyphyletic group. Based on genetic and morpho ...
'' and unlike the crescent-shaped, non-pointed bract on the scales 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 ...
'' cones. The winged seeds are small, thus dispersing at a close range; additionally, only a small percentage is viable. The
Caren Range The Caren Range is a low and mostly tree-covered mountain range in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It lies along the eastern shore of the Sechelt Peninsula, southeast of Sakinaw Lake, about ...
on the west coast of British Columbia is home to the oldest Nootka cypress specimens in the world, with one specimen found to be 1,834 years old; some specimens may be over 3,000 years old. ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'' is one of the parents of the
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...
Leyland cypress The Leyland cypress, ''Cupressus'' × ''leylandii'', × ''Cuprocyparis leylandii'' or × ''Cupressocyparis leylandii'', often referred to simply as leylandii, is a fast-growing coniferous evergreen tree much used in horticulture, primarily for h ...
; the other parent,
Monterey cypress ''Hesperocyparis macrocarpa'' also known as ''Cupressus macrocarpa'', or the Monterey cypress is a coniferous tree, and is one of several species of cypress trees native to California. The Monterey cypress is found naturally only on the Centr ...
(''Hesperocyparis macrocarpa)'', was also considered to be in the genus ''
Cupressus ''Cupressus'' (common name cypress) is one of several genus, genera of evergreen conifers within the Family (biology), family Cupressaceae; for the others, see cypress. It is considered a Polyphyly, polyphyletic group. Based on genetic and morpho ...
'', but in the North American ''
Hesperocyparis ''Hesperocyparis'' (western cypress) is a genus of trees in the family Cupressaceae, containing North American species otherwise assigned to the genus ''Cupressus''. They are found throughout western North America. Only a few species have wide ra ...
'' clade, which has generally been found to be phylogenetically closer to ''C. nootkatensis'' than the
Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...
clade ''Cupressus'' ''sensu stricto''.


Taxonomy

First described in the genus ''Cupressus'' as ''Cupressus nootkatensis'' in 1824 based on a specimen collected "ad Sinum Nootka dictum", which translates to "said Bay of Nootka". It was transferred to ''Chamaecyparis'' in 1841 on the basis of its foliage being in flattened sprays, as in other ''Chamaecyparis'', but unlike most (though not all) other ''Cupressus'' species. However, this placement does not fit with the morphology and phenology of the cones, which are far more like ''Cupressus'', maturing in two years rather than one. Genetic evidence, published by Gadek et al., strongly supported its return to ''Cupressus'' and exclusion from ''Chamaecyparis''. Farjon ''et al.'' (2002) transferred it to a new genus ''
Xanthocyparis ''Xanthocyparis'' is a genus of cypresses in the family Cupressaceae. , it has only one species, ''Xanthocyparis vietnamensis'', native to Vietnam and southeast China. It is commonly known as the Vietnamese golden cypress. The Nootka cypress, '' ...
'', together with the newly discovered Vietnamese golden cypress (''Xanthocyparis vietnamensis)''; this species is remarkably similar to Nootka cypress and the treatment has many arguments in its favour, as while they are not related to ''Chamaecyparis'', neither do they fit fully in ''Cupressus'' despite the many similarities. Little et al.Farjon, A., Hiep, N. T., Harder, D. K., Loc, P. K., & Averyanov, L. 2002
A new genus and species in the Cupressaceae (Coniferales) from northern Vietnam, ''Xanthocyparis vietnamensis''.
Novon 12: 179–189.
confirmed this relationship with further evidence and pointed out that an earlier nomenclatural combination in the genus ''Callitropsis'' existed, as ''Callitropsis nootkatensis'' (D.Don) Oerst., published in 1864 but overlooked or ignored by other subsequent authors. Little et al. therefore synonymised ''
Xanthocyparis ''Xanthocyparis'' is a genus of cypresses in the family Cupressaceae. , it has only one species, ''Xanthocyparis vietnamensis'', native to Vietnam and southeast China. It is commonly known as the Vietnamese golden cypress. The Nootka cypress, '' ...
'' with ''Callitropsis'', the correct name for these species under the
ICBN The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN or ICNafp) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all tho ...
when treated in a distinct genus. The name ''Xanthocyparis'' has now been proposed for conservation, and the 2011
International Botanical Congress International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of Botany, botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the locatio ...
followed that recommendation. In 2010, Mao et al. performed a more detailed molecular analysis and placed Nootka cypress back in ''Cupressus''. This was disputed, as the tree would compose a monophyletic subgenus, but the
Gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...
Database suggested that it could comprise a monotypic genus as ''Callitropsis nootkatensis''. In 2021, a molecular study by Stull et al. found the species to indeed belong to the distinct genus ''Callitropsis'' and recovered this as the sister genus to ''
Hesperocyparis ''Hesperocyparis'' (western cypress) is a genus of trees in the family Cupressaceae, containing North American species otherwise assigned to the genus ''Cupressus''. They are found throughout western North America. Only a few species have wide ra ...
''. The clade comprising both was found to be sister to ''Xanthocyparis'' (containing only the Vietnamese golden cypress), and the clade containing the three genera was found to be sister to a clade containing ''
Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...
us'' and ''Cupressus sensu stricto''.


Distribution and habitat

The species grows in moist areas of coastal mountains of the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (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. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
, including those of the Cascades, from the
Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...
in
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
to the
Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
in northernmost
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 ...
. It can be found at elevations higher than those reached by ''
Thuja plicata ''Thuja plicata'' is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the family Cupressaceae, native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Its common name is western redcedar in the U.S. or western red cedar in the UK, and it is also called pacific re ...
'' (western redcedar), sometimes in a ''
krummholz ''Krummholz'' (, "crooked, bent, twisted" and ''Holz'', "wood") — also called ''knieholz'' ("knee timber") — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped by continual e ...
'' form, and even occupying very rocky sites (near the California-Oregon border). It can be found at elevations of in
Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...
and between from coastal
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
into
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 ...
. Isolated groves near
Nelson, British Columbia Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The city is known for its collection of restored heritage buildings that date ba ...
, and
John Day, Oregon John Day is a city located approximately north of Canyon City, Oregon, Canyon City in Grant County, Oregon, United States, at the intersection of U.S. Routes U.S. Route 26 in Oregon, 26 and U.S. Route 395 (Oregon), 395. The city was named for the ...
, may be the descendants of local populations dating to the Last Glacial Period.


Ecology

The tree benefits from annual precipitation exceeding , particularly in deep snow though with temperatures not often dropping below . Snow tends not to break the flexible branches. 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 nursery (ho ...
, but less so than associated
mountain hemlock ''Tsuga mertensiana'', known as mountain hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, found between Southcentral Alaska and south-central California. Description ''Tsuga mertensiana'' is a large evergreen conifer ...
(''Tsuga mertensiana)'' and
Pacific silver fir ''Abies amabilis'', commonly known as the Pacific silver fir, is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring in the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range. It is also commonly referred to in English as the white fir, red ...
(''Abies amabilis)'', and grows slowly. Anti-fungal chemicals within the tree aid in its longevity. It is also rarely afflicted by insects, although is susceptible to
heart rot In trees, heart rot is a fungal disease that causes the decay of wood at the center of the trunk and branches. Fungi enter the tree through wounds in the bark and decay the heartwood. The diseased heartwood softens, making trees structurally wea ...
. In Alaska, where the tree is primarily referred to as "yellow cedar", extensive research has been conducted into large-scale die-offs of yellow cedar stands. These studies have concluded that the tree has depended upon heavy coastal snowpacks to insulate its shallow roots from cold Arctic winters. The impacts of
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
have resulted in thinner, less-persistent snowpacks, in turn causing increased susceptibility to freeze damage. This mortality has been observed over 7% of the species range, covering approximately 10 degrees of latitude from northern southeast Alaska to southern British Columbia. Substantial future mortality is likely due to warming temperatures and decreasing snowpacks. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is reviewing whether to designate the species as threatened or endangered.


Uses

The Nootka cypress is used extensively by the
indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are composed of many nations and tribal affiliations, each with distinctive cultural and political identities. They share certain beliefs, traditions and prac ...
, along with another cypress, ''Thuja plicata'' (western redcedar). While 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 ...
and inner bark of western redcedar was preferred for larger projects like houses and canoes, the stronger inner bark of Nootka cypress was used for smaller vessels and utensils, including canoe paddles and baskets, as well as thread for clothing and blankets. This species has been considered to be one of the finest timber trees in the world and has been exported to China during the last century. The wood has been used for flooring, interior finish and shipbuilding. The tree has extreme heartwood qualities that make it one of the most desired sources of
firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not heavily processed, and is in some sort of firelog, recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellet fuel, pellets. ...
on the West Coast. It burns very hot and lasts a long time as embers. A tree can still be used for firewood up to 100 years after its death.


Construction

The various physical properties of the wood make it an attractive material for both general construction and boatbuilding. Due to its slow growth it is hard and, like other cypress woods, it is durable; it therefore offers good dimensional stability and is resistant to weather, insects, and contact with soil. It works easily with hand or machine tools, turning and carving quite well. It can be fastened with glues, screws, and nails. Nootka cypress's texture, uniform color, and straight grain will take a fine finish. It resists splintering and wears smoothly over time. When fresh cut it has a somewhat unpleasant bitter scent, but when seasoned it has barely any discernible odor, hence its traditional use in face masks. Due to its expense, it is used mainly for finished carpentry. Typical uses include exterior siding, shingles, decking, exposed beams, glue-laminated beams, paneling, cabinetry, and
millwork Millwork is historically any wood-mill produced decorative material used in building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by milling at a planing mill can usually be installed with minimal alterat ...
. In
historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
it can be used as a substitute for ''Thuja plicata'' (western redcedar) and ''
Taxodium distichum ''Taxodium distichum'' (baldcypress, bald-cypress, bald cypress, swamp cypress; ; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a ...
'' (bald cypress), due to current difficulties in obtaining quality timber of those species due to environmental concern and past over-exploitation, although this applies equally to Nootka cypress. Other uses for Nootka cypress include saunas, and battery containers due to its resistance to acids. Traditionally, paddles, masks, dishes, and bows were made from the wood.


Landscaping

The drooping branchlets give the tree a graceful weeping appearance. It makes an attractive specimen tree in parks and open spaces. It can also be used as a tall
hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...
. It will grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 5–9, but can be difficult to grow. Best growth is in light or heavy soil, preferably well drained, and in climates with cool summers. It prefers semi-shade to full sun. It can also be used in
bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...
. Under the synonym ''Xanthocyparis nootkatensis'' the
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 ...
''C. nootkatensis'' 'Pendula' has 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 ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
.


In Indigenous culture

A legend amongst the Nootka peoples of the Hesquiaht First Nation tells of the origins of the Nootka cypress. In the legend, a
raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
encounters three young women drying salmon on the beach. He asks the women if they are afraid of being alone, or of
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
s,
wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
, and other animals. Each woman responded "no". But when asked about
owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
s, the women were indeed afraid of owls. Hearing this, the trickster raven hid in the forests, and made the calls of an owl. The terrified women ran up the mountains, but turned into Nootka cypress trees when they were out of breath. According to the Nootka, this is why Nootka cypress grows on the sides of mountains, and also why the bark is silky like a woman's hair, and the young trunk is smooth like a woman's body.Stewart, Hilary. (1984). Cedar: tree of life to the Northwest Coast Indians. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. . In
Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...
culture the story of
Natsilane Natsilane ( ) is the human hero of the "Blackfish" creation myth, one of the Tlingit and Haida stories about how the various supernatural animal species from the Tlingit culture of the American Northwest coast were created. These stories follow an ...
describes how a Nootka cypress was used to carve the world's first
killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...
.


Gallery

File:Cupressus nootkatensis 1334.JPG, Mature individual with foliage in flat sprays hanging from branches Image:Nootka Cypress cone.jpg, Cone detail Image:Callitropsis-nootkatensis01.jpg, Seeds Image:Cupressus nootkatensis bark.jpg, Bark File:Chamaecyparis nootkatensis‘Glauca’.jpg, ''C. nootkatensis'' 'Glauca'


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* {{Authority control Cupressaceae Trees of Northern America Plants described in 1824 Native American culture Trees of mild maritime climate