Cupressus austrotibetica


Cupressus austrotibetica is a species of cypress tree native to the deep valleys of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon area in the south of Tibet. The species name translates as 'south Tibetan cypress'.

Description

It is a large to extremely large tree, growing up to 102 metres tall, making it the second tallest tree species on Earth after Sequoia sempervirens. The bark is thick, grey-brown, vertically furrowed. It is distinguished from other Cupressus species by its extremely slender, thread-like shoots under 1 mm thick, and small cones just 12-16 mm long and under 12 mm diameter, with 8–12 scales.

Distribution

Cupressus austrotibetica is native to the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon system, particularly its tributary the Parlung Tsangpo, at 1980-2800 m altitude.