Cypress

Cypress is a common name for species in several genera in the family Cupressaceae. They grow in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.<ref name=farjon>Template:Cite book</ref>

The word cypress is derived from Old French cipres, which was imported from Latin cypressus, the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος (kyparissos).<ref>κυπάρισσος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name derives from Cyparissus, a mythological figure who was turned into a cypress tree after killing a stag.

Description

Cypresses are trees or shrubs reaching heights of Template:Convert, exceptionally (in Cupressus austrotibetica) Template:Cvt. Many exhibit a conical to columnar form, particularly in their youth, but some are prostrate, irregular, or shrubby. They are characterised by their scale-like, evergreen foliage and globose seed cones. Some species develop flattened, spreading crowns at maturity. 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. The leaves of young cypress seedlings are spreading and awl-shaped, becoming small, scale-like leaves that tightly adhere to older branches when the seedlings are more than one to five years old, with glandular pits on the outer surface, and cover the stem in opposite pairs, giving the branchlet a four-sided appearance.<ref name="farjon" /> Many are aromatic.

Species

A selection of species that are commonly known as cypresses include the following (this is not a complete list; refer to the genus links for a fuller list for each genus):

• Cupressus:
  • Cupressus atlantica (Moroccan cypress), Atlas Mountains in Morocco
  • Cupressus austrotibetica (South Tibetan cypress), Parlung Tsangpo Gorges, southern Tibet
  • Cupressus duclouxiana (Yunnan cypress), SW China
  • Cupressus dupreziana (Saharan cypress), mountains of southern Algeria
  • Cupressus funebris (Chinese weeping cypress), southern China
  • Cupressus gigantea (Tibetan cypress), Tibet
  • Cupressus sempervirens (Mediterranean cypress, also referred to as Italian cypress).<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is native to the eastern Mediterranean region to Iran.
  • Cupressus torulosa (West Himalayan cypress), western Himalaya
• Callitropsis (often included in Cupressus):
  • Callitropsis nootkatensis (Nootka cypress), western North America
• Hesperocyparis (often included in Cupressus):
  • Hesperocyparis arizonica (Rough-barked Arizona cypress), Arizona, southwest New Mexico, northern Mexico
  • Hesperocyparis bakeri (Modoc cypress), California, southwestern Oregon
  • Hesperocyparis glabra (Smooth Arizona cypress), Arizona
  • Hesperocyparis goveniana (Gowen's cypress), California
  • Hesperocyparis lusitanica, (Mexican cypress), Mexico and Central America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Hesperocyparis macnabiana (MacNab's cypress), California
  • Hesperocyparis macrocarpa (Monterey cypress), California
  • Hesperocyparis pygmaea (Mendocino cypress), California
  • Hesperocyparis sargentii (Sargent's cypress), California
• Xanthocyparis (often included in Cupressus):
  • Xanthocyparis vietnamensis (Vietnamese golden cypress), Vietnam, extreme southern China
• Chamaecyparis: eastern Asia and North America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Chamaecyparis formosensis (Formosan cypress), Taiwan
  • Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawson's cypress).<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> This is a native species to Oregon and northwestern California.<ref name=":2" />
  • Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki cypress), Japan, Taiwan
  • Chamaecyparis pisifera (sawara cypress), Japan
  • Chamaecyparis thyoides (white cypress), southeastern USA
• Fokienia (often included in Chamaecyparis):
  • Fokienia hodginsii (Fujian cypress), southeastern China, eastern Indochina<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref>
• Microbiota
  • Microbiota decussata (Siberian cypress), Sikhote-alin, Russian far east
• Taxodium:
  • Taxodium ascendens (pond cypress), southeastern United States.<ref>Template:Cite PLANTS</ref> and native to North America.
  • Taxodium distichum (bald cypress), southeastern United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Taxodium mucronatum (Montezuma cypress or Montezuma bald cypress), Mexico, Guatemala, and southern-central United States.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3" />
• Glyptostrobus
  • Chinese swamp cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis), Vietnam, critically endangered<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref>
• Austrocedrus
  • Austrocedrus chilensis (Cordilleran cypress), native to Chile and Argentina<ref name=farjon/>
• Fitzroya
  • Fitzroya cupressoides (Patagonian cypress), southern Chile and Argentina
• Pilgerodendron
  • Pilgerodendron uviferum (Guaitecas cypress), western Patagonia<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Tierra del Fuego<ref name=farjon/>
• Widdringtonia (African cypresses), four species native to Southern Africa<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Actinostrobus (often included in Callitris) – (cypress-pines), southwestern Australia<ref>Template:Flora of Australia Online</ref>
• Callitris (cypress-pines), 16 species native to Australia and New Caledonia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• 
  Actinostrobus arenarius
• 
  Austrocedrus chilensis
• 
  Callitris preissii
• 
  Cupressus macrocarpa, Monterey Peninsula, California
• 
  Cupressus nootkatensis
• 
  Fokienia hodginsii
• 
  Fitzroya cupressoides
• 
  Glyptostrobus pensilis foliage
• 
  Pilgerodendron uviferum
• 
  Taxodium ascendens, Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia (USA)
• 
  Widdringtonia whytei, Malawi

Association with mourning

In Greek mythology, Cyparissos, Cyparissus or Kyparissos (Ancient Greek: Κυπάρισσος, "cypress") was a male lover of Apollo,<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":7" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=":7" /> 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.<ref name=":7" />

See also

• Cypress forest
• Pine-cypress forest