Cupressus lusitanica

Scientific name: Cupressus lusitanica P.Miller 1768

Synonyms:Callitropsis lusitanica (Mill.) D.P.Little, Cupressus benthamii var. lindleyi (Klotzsch ex Endl.) Mast., Cupressus coulteri J.Forbes, Cupressus excelsa J.Scott ex Carrière, Cupressus glauca Lam., Cupressus glauca var. tristis Endl., Cupressus karwinskiana Regel, Cupressus lindleyi Klotzsch ex Endl., Cupressus mexicana K.Koch, Cupressus pendula L'Hér., Cupressus sinensis J.Lee ex Gord., Cupressus thurifera Lindl., Cupressus uhdeana Gordon ex Carrière, Hesperocyparis lindleyi (Klotzsch ex Endl.) Silba, Hesperocyparis lusitanica (Mill.) Bartel, Juniperus uhdeana Gordon, Neocupressus lusitanica (Mill.) de Laub.

Common names: Mexican cypress, Cedar of Goa, Cyprés de México, Tlascal (Spanish)

Description

Tree to 30 m tall, with trunk to 1.5(-3.5) m in diameter. Bark reddish brown, thin, fibrous, peeling in narrow strips. Crown variable, broadly conical or cylindrical, with horizontal branches. Branchlets four-sided, sometimes slightly flattened, 1-1.5(-2) mm in diameter, branching from all four rows of leaves or only from two, thus producing flattened sprays. Scale leaves on branchlets 1-2.5 mm long (to 10 mm with free tips to 4 mm on main shoots), dark green to bluish green with wax, rarely with an inactive resin gland, the edges usually smooth but sometimes minutely toothed. Pollen cones 3-4(-6) mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, with six to eight pairs of pollen scales, each with (three or) four pollen sacs. Seed cones spherical, 1-1.5(-2) cm long, reddish or grayish brown at maturity, often waxy before this, with (two or) three or four pairs of seed scales, each usually with a strong conical point 5-6 mm high on the face and lines radiating from there. Seeds 8-12 per scale, 3-5 mm long, the wing to 1.5 mm wide, yellow-brown, usually not waxy and lacking resin pockets. Cotyledons (three or) four.

Northern Mexico (southern Chihuahua and southern Coahuila) south through southern Guatemala to western Honduras (Santa Barbara Mountain). Forming pure stands or usually mixed with other conifers in the mountains; (1,700-)2,200-2,900(-4,000) m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

(The great extent of occurrence of this species and its abundance in some forests places it well outside a category of threat)

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.

Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

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