CYPRESS: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, USES, PESTS AND DISEASES - BIOLOGY - 2025

The cypress (genus Cupressus) is part of the coniferous plant family Cupressaceae. It is a genus that contains approximately 28 species distributed around subtropical and warm regions of Asia, Europe and North America. The term "cypress" is used regularly to refer to species of this genus.

The species that make up the genus Cupressus grow in the form of a tree, reaching about 25 meters in height. In general, cypress plants show a pyramidal type of growth pattern, especially in the juvenile stage.

Cupressocyparis leylandii. W. Baumgartner

To define the distribution pattern of cypress trees, two subsets of this genus have been designated. The New World Cupressus make up the tree species that inhabit the warm areas of North America. While the cypress trees of the old world, inhabit the temperate areas of Asia and Europe.

The species of the genus Cupressus are widely used as timber trees. Some species of this genus are used as ornamental plants. Cypress trees are used in reforestation projects. In addition, some species of this genus are studied for their antibiotic properties against a wide range of microorganisms.

Cypresses are susceptible to various pests, the attack by insects standing out. In the same way, cypress plants are prone to various fungi, especially those that cause cancer in these species.

characteristics

Trees

Cypress trees grow in a pyramidal shape, reaching an average of about 25 meters. Some Cupressus species develop broad, flat crowns, while others are shrubs less than 6 meters long.

Cupressus glabra. andrew.petro at Flickr

Cortex

The bark of the trunk in some Cupressus species is soft. However, in most species it separates into thin plates or strips that can be detached from the tree. Internally, the stem bark has a grayish-brown or orange color.

The transverse walls of the xylem parenchyma can be smooth or nodular. The nodules can be large or small.

Source: pixabay.com

Leaves

The differences in the characteristics of the leaves between juveniles and adults are very marked in the Cupressus genus. Juvenile cypress leaves are produced as the first type of leaves (ontogenetically). The leaves of young Cupressus plants are not decurrent and have the appearance of a needle or a strap.

On the other hand, adult specimens develop leaves as the last type of leaf (ontogenetically). The leaves of adult cypresses are decurrent for more than half the length of the leaf.

The leaves are generally aromatic, with glands on the upper surface, and cover the stem in opposite pairs, giving the twig a four-sided appearance.

Source: pixabay.com

Reproductive organs

The female reproductive structures (cones) and the tiny male reproductive structure are on the same tree, usually at the tip of a branch.

The cones are small, usually spherical, with three to six pairs of woody or leathery scales. The scales are attached to the axis of the cone from the back, and have a small projection on the upper surface.

In turn, there may be two or more male gametes per pollen tube. Pollen, at the time of pollination, can be mononucleated, binucleated, and occasionally multinucleated.

Seeds

The fertile scales of the cones can contain from 6 to more than 100 winged seeds, depending on the species. The seeds ripen at the end of the second season after fertilization, and can be kept for several years until the cone opens.

The seeds can be uniform in their morphology or they can be irregular in shape. This largely depends on the number of ovules and the shape of the cone. The transverse shape of the seed can be round, ovoid or flat. In general, the wings of the seeds are symmetrical. In turn, the number of cotyledons can vary from two to six.

Taxonomy

The genus Cupressus is part of the subfamily Cupressoideae, of the Cupressaceae family. This genus contains the second largest number of species in the Cupressaceae family, after the Juniperus genus.

Recently and according to DNA sequence analysis, it has been suggested that the Cupressus genus is a polyphyletic group, since the common ancestor of all its members has not been found. This leads to the division of the genus Cupressus into two main groups: the cypress trees of the new world and those of the old world.

Thus, based on genomic, biochemical, and morphological data, the clade for the New World Cupressus species shares a clade with Xanthocyparis. The latter is a sister clade of the old world separation clade between Cupressus and Juniperus.

Likewise, the Cupressus species of the new world are subdivided into four groups, which depend on the genetic characteristics of each species. However, the monophyletic character of Old World cypresses is supported 100% by genomic and morphological data.

Habitat and distribution

As mentioned above, the genus Cupressus contains species that inhabit warm and temperate areas of North America, Europe, and Asia.

Source: pixabay.com

New World Cupressus species are most diverse in California, where the trees tend to grow in relatively warm areas and in marginal habitats. This has led to a fragmentation of the community, predominantly due to an allopatric distribution.

In addition, this is combined with the local excess abundance, where some species reach several hundred hectares. However, most species are restricted to a handful of neighboring populations.

However, there are some species such as C. arizonica, C. lusitanica, and C. sargentii, which have numerous populations distributed over a large geographic area. These species are the exception and not the rule.

Meanwhile, old world cypress trees abound in the eastern Himalayan region. Cupressus species are generally widespread in the Old World, and are adapted to a wide variety of environmental conditions, including xeric and mesic habitats.

Cypress trees of the Mediterranean. Source: pixabay.com

Applications

Cypresses are used as timber trees; those most used by the timber industry are C. torulosa from Bhutan and Italy, and the cypress trees from Monterrey, C. sempervirens and C. macrocarpa.

Cypress wood is light, moderately hard, and very durable in contact with the ground; but it is usually knobby and has an odor that is sometimes considered offensive.

In addition to the three species mentioned above, the cypress trees of Arizona (C. arizonica and C. glabra), of Goven (C. goveniana), of Kashmir (C. cashmeriana), of Mexico (C. lusitanica), the mourning cypress (C. funebris), and C. sargentii, are grown as ornamental trees, due to the foliage and graceful appearance of the young individuals.

The Italian cypress and the mourning tree have been used by some cultures as symbols of death and immortality. Hybrid cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is an ornamental windbreak, developed by crossing Monterey cypress with yellow cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis).

In addition to uses as lumber and ornamental trees, Cupressu s species have multiple antibiotic properties. For example, the essential oils of Cupressus sempervirens showed antagonistic activity against the beetles Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium confusum.

Likewise, the essential oils of Cupressus sempervirens have shown an inhibitory effect on the in vitro growth of several species of Gram negative bacteria and several phytopathogenic fungi; while isolated and characterized components of Cupressus lusitanica have presented fungicidal activity.

Diseases and pests

Trees of the genus Cupressus are susceptible to attack by a wide variety of pathogens. Your susceptibility to pests is highly dependent on environmental factors. Thus, living on slopes, margins, and very often on rocks, are key conditions for the development of a disease.

In North America, disease damage has been reported in young individuals of C. arizonica and C. macrocarpa, caused by a strain of Phomopsis very close to Phomopsis juniperovora.

While in Kenya, the pink disease, very common in coffee plants, resulted in a significant number of cypress trees due to the infection of the fungus Corticium salmonicolor, and caused the death of young branches of several individuals of C. macrocarpa.

In turn, in North America, the rust, Gymnosporangium cupresis, has been reported to cause galls in Cupressus glabra and C. arizonica. While the brown pocket rot in the heartwood of several species of native Monterey cypress trees was caused by the fungus Polyporus basilari.

Many diseases of trees of the genus Cupressus are caused by insects, which can attack by feeding on the foliage, bark, or wood, thus causing the death of an entire tree. Insects of the order Collembola can cause severe damage to both adult and young cypress individuals.

While insects of the order Orthoptera, specifically crickets and grasshoppers, can cause damage to leaves, stems and roots of trees of the genus Cupressus.

Without a doubt, the most representative disease that affects trees of the Cupressus genus is cypress cancer or cypress ulcer. This disease is caused by the saprophytic fungus Coryneum cardinale. The spores of this fungus germinate optimally at average temperatures of 26 ° C and can cause gangrenous sores in epidermal tissues of leaves and stems.

References

1. Alford, DV 2012. Insects. Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers, 20–404
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3. Ceccherini, L., Raddi, S. 2010. Anatomical and genetic features of the Cupressus megagametophyte: The diploid pattern in C. sempervirens is an exception for this genus. Plant Biosystems. 143: 1-5
4. Encyclopedia Britannica (April, 2019). Cypress. Taken from britannica.com. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
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8. Sedaghat, MM, Dehkordi, AS, Khanavi, M., Abai, MR, Mohtarami, F., Vatandoost, H. 2011. Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oil of Cupressus arizonica EL Greene against malaria vector Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae). Pharmacognosy Research, 3 (2): 135.
9. Tapondjou, AL, Adler, C., Fontem, DA, Bouda, H., Reichmuth, CH 2005. Bioactivities of cymol and essential oils of Cupressus sempervirens and Eucalyptus saligna against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky and Tribolium confusum du Val. Journal of Stored Products Research, 41 (1): 91-102.
10. Wagener, WW 1939. The canker of Cupressus induced by Coryneum cardinale n. sp. Journal of Agricultural Research, 58 (1).
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12. Zhao, J., Fujita, K., Yamada, J., Sakai, K. 2001. Improved β-thujaplicin production in Cupressus lusitanica suspension cultures by fungal elicitor and methyl jasmonate. Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 55 (3): 301-305.