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.
The word cypress is derived from Old French cipres, which was imported from Latin cypressus, the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος. 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, exceptionally . 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. Many are aromatic.

Species

A selection of species that are commonly known as cypresses include the following :
  • Cupressus:
  • *Cupressus atlantica, Atlas Mountains in Morocco
  • *Cupressus austrotibetica, Parlung Tsangpo Gorges, southern Tibet
  • *Cupressus duclouxiana, SW China
  • *Cupressus dupreziana, mountains of southern Algeria
  • *Cupressus funebris, southern China
  • *Cupressus gigantea, Tibet
  • *Cupressus sempervirens. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean region to Iran.
  • *Cupressus torulosa, western Himalaya
  • Callitropsis :
  • *Callitropsis nootkatensis, western North America
  • Hesperocyparis :
  • *Hesperocyparis arizonica, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, northern Mexico
  • *Hesperocyparis bakeri, California, southwestern Oregon
  • *Hesperocyparis glabra, Arizona
  • *Hesperocyparis goveniana, California
  • *Hesperocyparis lusitanica,, Mexico and Central America.
  • *Hesperocyparis macnabiana, California
  • *Hesperocyparis macrocarpa, California
  • *Hesperocyparis pygmaea, California
  • *Hesperocyparis sargentii, California
  • Xanthocyparis :
  • *Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, Vietnam, extreme southern China
  • Chamaecyparis: eastern Asia and North America.
  • *Chamaecyparis formosensis, Taiwan
  • *Chamaecyparis lawsoniana. This is a native species to Oregon and northwestern California.
  • *Chamaecyparis obtusa, Japan, Taiwan
  • *Chamaecyparis pisifera, Japan
  • *Chamaecyparis thyoides, southeastern USA
  • Fokienia :
  • *Fokienia hodginsii, southeastern China, eastern Indochina
  • Microbiota
  • *Microbiota decussata, Sikhote-alin, Russian far east
  • Taxodium:
  • *Taxodium ascendens, southeastern United States. and native to North America.
  • *Taxodium distichum, southeastern United States.
  • *Taxodium mucronatum, Mexico, Guatemala, and southern-central United States.
  • Glyptostrobus
  • *Chinese swamp cypress, Vietnam, critically endangered
  • Austrocedrus
  • *Austrocedrus chilensis, native to Chile and Argentina
  • Fitzroya
  • *Fitzroya cupressoides, southern Chile and Argentina
  • Pilgerodendron
  • *Pilgerodendron uviferum, western Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
  • Widdringtonia, four species native to Southern Africa
  • Actinostrobus –, southwestern Australia
  • Callitris, 16 species native to Australia and New Caledonia

    Association with mourning

In Greek mythology, Cyparissos, Cyparissus or Kyparissos was a male lover of Apollo, 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.
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. 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.