Cupressus lusitanica var. benthamii

Scientific name: Cupressus lusitanica var. benthamii (Endlicher) Carrière  1867

Synonyms: Callitropsis benthamii (Endl.) D.P.Little, Cupressus benthamii Endl., Cupressus ehrenbergii Kunze, Cupressus knightiana Perry ex Gordon, Hesperocyparis benthamii (Endl.) Bartel

Common names: Bentham's cypress

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 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.

Mexico (Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, México State, Puebla, Veracruz); 1,500-4,000 m.

Conservation Status

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 as it almost qualifies for a threatened listing under criterion A2cd)

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

Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.