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Scientific name: Cupressus lusitanica var. benthamii (Endlicher) Carrière 1867
Synonyms: Callitropsis benthamii (Endl.) D.P.Little, Cupressus benthamii Endl., Cupressus benthamii var. knightiana (Perry ex. Gordon) Mast., Cupressus ehrenbergii Kunze, Cupressus knightiana Perry ex Gordon, Cupressus lindleyi subsp. benthamii (Endl.) Silba, Cupressus lusitanica subsp. benthamii (Endl.) Franco, Hesperocyparis benthamii (Endl.) Bartel
Common names: Bentham's cypress (English), Cedro Blanco, Ciprés, Sabina (Spanish)
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 in flattened sprays, arising from only two rows of leaves. 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.
The species name honors George Bentham (1800 - 1884), who premier English botanist of the 19th century, taxonomist, and author. President of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Linnaean Society of London.
Mexico: Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México State, Puebla, Veracruz probably scattered in forests; 1,500-4,000 m.
Red List Category & Criteria: Near Threatened
Logging and forest depletion in the areas where this variety occurs has undoubtedly caused a reduction in quality of habitat and possibly area of occupancy (AOO), while mature trees are also probably in decline. However, due to uncertainties about extent and abundance, it is not possible to quantify these losses, but they are likely to exceed 20% over the past three generations. The taxon is therefore assessed as Near Threatened.
Commonly scattered in mixed montane conifer forest or pine forest, associated with Abies spp., Pinus ayacahuite, Pinus hartwegii, Pinus montezumae, Pinus patula, Pinus pseudostrobus, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca, Quercus spp., Alnus spp., Clethra sp., Persea sp. and ericaceous and theaceous undershrubs. This variety tends to occupy mountain slopes exposed to high precipitation. Its altitudinal range is between 1,500 and 4,000 m a.s.l.
The total extent and abundancy of this variety is incompletely known. It is certainly much more scattered than Cupressus lusitanica and seems to be absent in the Central American part of the species' range. It could therefore be more vulnerable to logging and general forest depletion should these trends affect the species as a whole.
This variety is used as an ornamental tree.
Some stands of Cupressus lusitanica var. benthamii are within protected areas, e.g. Mt. Orizaba National Park in Veracruz/Puebla, Mexico.
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