Cypress

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Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the Cupressus genus of the Cupressaceae family, typically found in warm-temperate and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. [1]

Contents

Description

Cypress trees typically reach heights of up to 25 metres (82 ft) and exhibit a pyramidal form, particularly in their youth. Many are characterised by their needle-like, evergreen foliage and acorn-like seed cones. Some species develop flattened, spreading heads at maturity, while certain variants may manifest as shrubs, standing at less than 6 metres (20 ft). The bark of cypress trees varies, with some species having smooth surfaces, while most exhibit bark that separates into thin plates or strips, often shedding over time. Leaves of young cypress trees are spreading and awl-shaped, and are typically small, scale-like formations that tightly adhere to older branches. They are usually aromatic, with glandular pits on the outer surface, and cover the stem in opposite pairs, giving the branchlet a four-sided appearance. [1]

Species

Cypress is any of the twelve species of ornamental and timber evergreen conifers constituting the genus Cupressus of the family Cupressaceae. Many resinous, aromatic evergreen trees called cypress belong to other genera of the same family, especially species of false cypress and cypress pine. The name cypress is occasionally used for some species of fustic and for bald cypress, and it often denotes jack pine in eastern Canada. [1]

Species that are commonly known as cypresses include:

Other species include:

Plants named cypress

Etymology

The word cypress is derived from Old French cipres, which was imported from Latin cypressus, the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος ( kyparissos ). [21] [22]

Symbology

In Greek mythology, Cyparissos, Cyparissus or Kyparissos (Ancient Greek: Κυπάρισσος, "cypress") was a male lover of Apollo, [23] as well as other deities in other versions of mythology.

In the most prevalent version of the story, Cyparissus receives a stag as a gift from Apollo, which he accidentally kills with a spear while hunting in the forest. Cyparissus is overwhelmed by pain and sorrow, and asks Apollo to allow his tears to flow for eternity. Apollo transforms Cyparissus into a cypress tree, and the sap that typically drips down the tree's trunk represents Cyparissus' tears. [23] [24]

Consequently, the cypress emerged as a symbol of mourning, sadness, and loss in classical mythology, thereby serving an aetiological purpose in explaining its cultural significance. [23] Due to its connection to grief, the cypress became one of the symbols of Hades and has been planted in cemeteries since the classical era. During the Renaissance period, the myth of Kyparissos was revived, and is depicted in several works of art and poetry. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Cedrus</i> Genus of plants (coniferous trees)

Cedrus, with the common English name cedar, is a genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae. They are native to the mountains of the western Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altitudes of 1,500–3,200 m (4,900–10,500 ft) in the Himalayas and 1,000–2,200 m (3,300–7,200 ft) in the Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyparissus</span> Mythological youth beloved by Apollo or other deities

In Greek mythology, Cyparissus or Kyparissos was a boy beloved by Apollo or in some versions by other deities. In the best-known version of the story, the favorite companion of Cyparissus was a tamed stag, which he accidentally killed with his hunting javelin as it lay sleeping in the woods. The boy's grief was such that it transformed him into a cypress tree, a classical symbol of mourning. The myth is thus aetiological in explaining the relation of the tree to its cultural significance. The subject is mainly known from Hellenized Latin literature and frescoes from Pompeii. No Greek hero cult devoted to Cyparissus has been identified.

<i>Thuja</i> Genus of conifers

Thuja is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae. There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to Thujopsis. Members are commonly known as arborvitaes, thujas or cedars.

<i>Taxodium</i> Genus of conifers

Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. The name is derived from the Latin word taxus, meaning "yew", and the Greek word εἶδος (eidos), meaning "similar to." Within the family, Taxodium is most closely related to Chinese swamp cypress and sugi.

Swamp cypress is a common name for more than one species of plants in the family Cupressaceae (cypresses):

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupressaceae</span> Cypress family of conifers

Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera, which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecious trees and shrubs up to 116 m (381 ft) tall. The bark of mature trees is commonly orange- to red-brown and of stringy texture, often flaking or peeling in vertical strips, but smooth, scaly or hard and square-cracked in some species.

<i>Cupressus</i> Several genera of evergreen conifers

Cupressus is one of several genera of evergreen conifers within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress. It is considered a polyphyletic group. Based on genetic and morphological analysis, the genus Cupressus is found in the subfamily Cupressoideae. The common name "cypress" comes via the Old French cipres from the Latin cyparissus, which is the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος (kypárissos).

<i>Chamaecyparis</i> Genus of conifers

Chamaecyparis, common names cypress or false cypress, is a genus of conifers in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to eastern Asia 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".

<i>Callitropsis nootkatensis</i> Species of conifer

Callitropsis nootkatensis, formerly known as Cupressus 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 on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Both locations are named for the older European name Nootka, given the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation.

<i>Cupressus sempervirens</i> Species of conifer

Cupressus sempervirens, the Mediterranean cypress, is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Iran. Cupressus sempervirens is a seeded vascular plant. As a seeded plant, it uses seeds to reproduce. While some studies show it has modern medicinal properties, it is most noted for uses in folk medicine, where the dried leaves of the plant are used for a variety of ailments. It is well adapted to the conditions and the environment that it lives in due to the ability to survive in both acidic and alkaline soils, and withstand drought. Cupressus sempervirens is widely present in culture, most notably in Iran, where it is both a sacred tree and is a metaphor for "the graceful figure of the beloved".

<i>Xanthocyparis</i> Genus of conifers in the family Cupressaceae

Xanthocyparis is a genus of cypresses in the family Cupressaceae. As of August 2021, 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, Cupressus nootkatensis or Callitropsis nootkatensis, was also placed in the genus, but this has been rejected.

Cypress-pine is the common name used for three closely related genera of conifers in the cypress family Cupressaceae:

<i>Glyptostrobus pensilis</i> Species of conifer

Glyptostrobus pensilis, known in Chinese as 水松, and also Chinese swamp cypress, is an endangered conifer, and the sole living species in the genus Glyptostrobus.

<i>Widdringtonia</i> Genus of conifers

Widdringtonia is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae. The name was Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher's way of honouring an early expert on the coniferous forests of Spain, Capt. Samuel Edward Widdrington (1787–1856). There are four species, all native to southern Africa, where they are known as cedars or African cypresses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peavy Arboretum</span>

Peavy Arboretum is an arboretum operated by Oregon State University and located on Arboretum Road, Corvallis, Oregon. It is open to the public daily without charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thujaplicin</span> Chemical compound

Thujaplicin is any of three isomeric tropolone-related natural products that have been isolated from the softwoods of the trees of Cupressaceae family. These compounds are known for their antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. They were the first natural tropolones to be made synthetically.

<i>Schubertia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Schubertia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1810. It is native to South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamaecydin</span> Chemical compound

Chamaecydin is a chemical compound with the molecular formula C30H40O3. It is made up of three six-membered rings and two five-membered rings and has one polar hydroxyl functional group. It is well preserved in the rock record and is only found in a specific family of conifers, the swamp cypress subfamily. The presence and abundance of chamaecydin in the rock record can reveal environmental changes in ancient biomes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cypress | Growing, Pruning & Planting Tips | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-03-22. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  2. 1 2 "Cupressus sempervirens L. GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Cupressus lusitanica Mill. var. lusitanica GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  4. 1 2 "Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray bis) Parl. GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  5. ↑ "USDA Plants Database". plants.sc.egov.usda.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  6. ↑ "Taxodium distichum (L". www.srs.fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  7. 1 2 "Taxodium mucronatum Ten. GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  8. 1 2 "Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  9. 1 2 "Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  10. 1 2 "Thujopsis dolabrata (Thunb. ex L. f.) Siebold & Zucc. GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  11. ↑ Pauw, C.A.; Linder, H.P. (1997). "Widdringtonia systematics, ecology and conservation status". Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 123: 297–319. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1997.tb01421.x .
  12. ↑ Thomas, P.; Yang, Y.; Farjon, A.; Nguyen, D. & Liao, W. (2011). "Glyptostrobus pensilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T32312A9695181. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T32312A9695181.en . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  13. 1 2 Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN   1-84246-068-4.
  14. ↑ "Actinostrobus". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
  15. ↑ "Callitris". Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
  16. ↑ "Chamaecyparis". Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
  17. ↑ Thomas, P.; Yang, Y. (2013). "Chamaecyparis hodginsii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T32351A2815809. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T32351A2815809.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Luebert, Federico; Pliscoff, Patricio (2017) [2006]. Sinopsis bioclimática y vegetacional de Chile (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Universitaria. pp. 192–195 and 208–209. ISBN   978-956-11-2575-9.
  19. ↑ Hogan, C. Michael; Frankis, Michael P. (2009). "Monterey Cypress: Cupressus macrocarpa". GlobalTwitcher.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  20. ↑ "Cupressus nootkatensis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015.
  21. ↑ κυπάρισσος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  22. ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Parry, Katy (2022-01-14). "Cupressus sempervirens". Chelsea Physic Garden. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  24. ↑ "24/7 Emergency Care in Cypress: Fairfield Emergency Room". Fairfield Emergency Room. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
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