Cupressaceae
| Cupressaceae, Cypress family | ||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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| Genera | ||||||||||
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Actinostrobus Callitris Calocederus Chamaecyparis Cupresses - cypress Diselma Fitzroya Fokienia Juniperus - junipers Libocedrus Neocallitropsis Pilgerodendron Platycladus Tetraclinis Thuja - thuja Thujopsis Widdringtonia |
The Family Cupressaceae is known as the Cypress family of cosmopolitan distribution. The family includes dioecious and monoecious coniferous trees and shrubs in some 17 genera (8 monotypic) with perhaps 113 species. Leaves are either decussate (opposite) or whorled, and more needle-like on young plants, small and scale-like on mature plants. Cones are either woody, leathery, or berry-like and fleshy, with several ovules per scale. Seedlings usually with two cotyledons. These plants are distinguished from similar looking plants in the Family Taxodiaceae and Family Pinaceae by having opposite or whorled scale-like leaves on mature plants, instead of needle-like leaves.
Many of the species are important timber sources, especially in the genera Chamaecyparis, Cupresses, Juniperus, and Thuja.
References
- Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 706 p. ISBN 0 521 34060 8.