Chamaecyparis

Spach

11: 329. 1841.

Common names: White-cedar false-cypress faux-cypres
Etymology: Greek chamai, on the ground, or dwarf, and cyparissos, cypress
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA2 P61 Cupressus-Chamaecyparis pg 406.jpegCupressus macnabiana
Chamaecyparis thyoides
Cupressus bakeri
John Myers
John Myers
John Myers

Trees (rarely shrubs). Branchlets terete or rhombic in cross-section, in fan-shaped or pinnately flattened sprays. Leaves opposite in 4 ranks. Adult leaves usually appressed, lateral and facial pairs similar, closely overlapping, scalelike, free portion of long-shoot leaves to ca. 7 mm; abaxial glands present or absent, circular to linear. Pollen cones with 2–3 pairs of sporophylls, each sporophyll with 2–4 pollen-sacs. Seed-cones maturing and opening in 1–2 years, nearly globose, glaucous, 4–12 mm; scales persistent, 2–5 (–6) pairs, valvate, peltate or basifixed, thick and woody, terminal pair often fused. Seeds 1–4 per cone-scale, lenticular, equally 2-winged; cotyledons 2–3. x = 11.

Distribution

North America, e Asia

Discussion

Two Japanese species are widely cultivated and may become established locally. Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zuccarini) Endlicher (hinoki-cypress) has obtuse, glandless leaves and seed cones ca. 10–12 mm broad; C. pisifera (Siebold & Zuccarini) Endlicher (sawara-cypress) has acuminate, obscurely glandular leaves and seed cones 6–8 mm broad. Cultivated juvenile forms of several species have been referred to by the superfluous Retinospora Siebold & Zuccarini. Some authors include species of Chamaecyparis in the genus Cupressus.

Species 6–7 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Seed cones 4-9 mm broad; leaves usually with circular abaxial glands; Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Chamaecyparis thyoides
1 Seed cones 8-12 mm broad; leaves with linear to circular abaxial glands or glands absent; Pacific Coast. > 2
2 Seed cones with 5-9 scales, opening at end of first year, not notably resinous; leaves usually with linear glands; facial leaves of branchlets frequently separated from each other by paired bases of lateral leaves. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
2 Seed cones with 4-6 scales, sometimes remaining closed at end of first year, becoming resinous; leaves usually without glands, these circular when present; apices of facial leaves of branchlets often overlapping the base of next facial leaf. Chamaecyparis nootkatensis

"thick" is not a number.

... more about "Chamaecyparis"
David C. Michener +
long-lived +
rhombic +  and terete +
inconspicuous +  and undifferentiated +
White-cedar +, false-cypress +  and faux-cypres +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
North America +  and e Asia +
Greek chamai, on the ground, or dwarf, and cyparissos, cypress +
decurrent +  and scale-like +
petioled +, sessile +, twisted +  and simple +
overlapping +  and opposite +
persisting +
spreading +  and appressed +
3 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
scale-like +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
spheric;oblong +
fibrous;woody +
peltate +  and complex +
cuneate +  and oblong +
fleshy +  and woody +
overlapping +
persistent +
basifixed +
1 +  and 2 +
1 +  and 4 +
lenticular +
flattened +  and fan--shaped +
Chamaecyparis +
Cupressaceae +
flattened +, angled +  and terete +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +