Cupressus sempervirens

Cupressus sempervirens, Photo: Michael Lahanas

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Tracheophyta
Divisio: Pinophyta
Classis: Pinopsida
Ordo: Pinales

Familia: Cupressaceae
Subfamilia: Cupressoideae
Genus: Cupressus
Species: Cupressus sempervirens
Name

Cupressus sempervirens L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1002 (1753).

Protologue locality: "Habitat in Creta"
Lectotypus: Herb. Clifford: 449, Cupressus 1 [beta] (BM-000647431), designated by: Silba, Phytologia 52: 357, f. 1 (1983).

Synonyms

Homotypic
Cupressus elongata Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 397 (1796), nom. superfl.
Cupressus pyramidalis O.Targ.Tozz., Ann. Mus. Imp. Fis. Firenze 2(2): 72 (1810), nom. superfl.
Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 675 (1882), nom. inval.
Cupressus sempervirens subvar. pyramidalis Hayek, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 30(1): 37 (1924), nom. inval.
Heterotypic
Cupressus foemina Garsault, Fig. Pl. Méd.: t. 240 (1764), opus utique oppr.
Cupressus mas Garsault, Fig. Pl. Méd.: t. 240 (1764), opus utique oppr.
Cupressus horizontalis Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: n.º 2 (1768).
Cupressus sempervirens var. stricta Aiton, Hort. Kew. 3: 372 (1789).
Cupressus lugubris Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 397 (1796).
Cupressus patula Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 580 (1807).
Cupressus fastigiata DC. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck & A.P.de Candolle, Fl. Franç., ed. 3, 5: 336 (1815).
Cupressus conoidea Spadoni, Xilolog. Picena 1: 189 (1826).
Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis (Mill.) G.Don in J.C.Loudon, Hort. Brit.: 38 (1830).
Cupressus expansa Targ.Tozz. ex Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 455 (1840).
Cupressus horizontalis var. pendula Endl., Syn. Conif.: 56 (1847).
Cupressus roylei Carrière, Traité Gén. Conif.: 128 (1855).
Cupressus whitleyana Carrière, Traité Gén. Conif.: 128 (1855).
Juniperus whitleyana Miq., Cat. Hort. Amstelod.: 21 (1857).
Cupressus stricta Mill. ex Gordon & Glend., Pinetum: 67 (1858).
Cupressus thujifolia Knight ex Gordon & Glend., Pinetum: 69 (1858).
Cupressus globulifera Parl., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 13: 377 (1860).
Cupressus sphaerocarpa Parl., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 13: 378 (1860).
Cupressus umbilicata Parl., Index Seminum (FI, Florentinii) 1860: 22 (1860).
Cupressus thujiformis Parker ex Gordon, Pinetum, Suppl.: 26 (1862).
Cupressus thujioides H.Low ex Gordon, Pinetum, Suppl.: 26 (1862).
Cupressus sempervirens var. globulifera Parl. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 16(2): 469 (1868).
Cupressus sempervirens var. indica Parl. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 16(2): 469 (1868).
Cupressus sempervirens var. sphaerocarps (Parl.) Parl. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 16(2): 468 (1868).
Cupressus sempervirens var. umbilicata (Parl.) Parl. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 16(2): 469 (1868).
Chamaecyparis thujiformis R.Sm. ex Gordon, Pinetum, ed. 2: 429 (1875).
Cupressus orientalis Beissn., Handb. Nadelholzk.: 102 (1891).
Cupressus sempervirens f. horizontalis (Mill.) Voss, Vilm. Blumengärtn. ed. 3, 1: 1228 (1895).
Cupressus sempervirens f. numidica Trab., Rev. Hort. Algérie Tunisie Maroc 17: 209 (1913).
Cupressus sempervirens subsp. horizontalis (Mill.) A.Camus, Cyprès: 33 (1914).
Cupressus sempervirens var. pendula (Endl.) A.Camus, Cyprès: 35 (1914).
Cupressus sempervirens subvar. horizontalis (Mill.) Hayek, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 30(1): 37 (1924).
Cupressus mariae Sennen, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n.s., 73: 11 (1928).
Cupressus sempervirens f. stricta (Aiton) Rehder, Bibl. Cult. Trees: 49 (1949).
Cupressus sempervirens subsp. indica (Parl.) Silba, J. Int. Conifer Preserv. Soc. 12: 97 (2005).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Middle Europe
Switzerland (alien).
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Baleares, Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain (introduced).
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria (introduced), Greece (doubtfully native), Italy (introduced), Kriti, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia (introduced).
Regional: Eastern Europe
Krym (introduced).
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria (introduced), Libya, Morocco (introduced), Tunisia (doubtfully native).
Regional: Macaronesia
Canary Islands (introduced).
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Lebanon-Syria (Lebanon, Syria), Palestine (Israel, Jordan), Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 1002. Reference page.

Additional references

Farjon, A. 1998. World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-025-0. Reference page.
Silba, J. 1982. Addendum to a revision of Cupressus L. (Cupressaceae). Phytologia 52(5): 349–361. BHL Reference page.
Jarvis, C.E. 2007. Order out of Chaos: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types. London: Linnean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum, ISBN 978-0-9506207-7-0, p. 466. Online. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Cupressus sempervirens in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Jan 06. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Cupressus sempervirens. Published online. Accessed: Jan 06 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Cupressus sempervirens. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 06 Jan 2020.
Euro+Med 2006 onwards: Cupressus sempervirens in Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Oct 2.

Vernacular names
беларуская: Кіпарыс вечназялёны
български: Обикновен кипарис
català: Xiprer mediterrani
Deutsch: Trauerzypresse
English: Mediterranean Cypress
Esperanto: Mediteranea cipreso
español: Ciprés del Mediterráneo
فارسی: سرو ناز
suomi: Välimerensypressi
français: Cyprès commun
עברית: ברוש מצוי
hrvatski: Čempres
magyar: Európai ciprus, örökzöld ciprus
italiano: Cipresso
македонски: Обичен чемпрес
Nederlands: Italiaanse cipres
português: Cipreste-italiano
srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Čempres
shqip: Selvia
svenska: Äkta cypress
Türkçe: Akdeniz servisi

Cupressus sempervirens, the Mediterranean cypress (also known as Italian cypress,[1] Tuscan cypress, Persian cypress, or pencil pine), is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southern Albania, southern and coastal Bulgaria, southern coastal Croatia and Slovenia, southern Montenegro, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, southern Kosovo, southwestern North Macedonia, southern Greece, southern Turkey, Cyprus, northern Egypt, western Syria, Lebanon, Malta, Italy, Palestine, Israel, western Jordan, South Caucasus, and also a disjunct population in Iran.[citation needed]

Cupressus sempervirens is a medium-sized coniferous evergreen tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall, with a conic crown with level branches and variably loosely hanging branchlets.[2] It is very long-lived, with some trees reported to be over 1,000 years old.

The foliage grows in dense sprays, dark green in colour. The leaves are scale-like, 2–5 mm long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are ovoid or oblong, 25–40 mm long, with 10-14 scales, green at first, maturing brown about 20–24 months after pollination. The male cones are 3–5 mm long, and release pollen in late winter. It is moderately susceptible to cypress canker, caused by the fungus Seiridium cardinale, and can suffer extensive dieback where this disease is common. The species name sempervirens comes from the Latin for 'evergreen'.

It is also known as "the churchyard cypress," from being often found standing (as if sentinels) surrounding a graveyard.

Uses

Mediterranean cypress has been widely cultivated as an ornamental tree for millennia away from its native range, mainly throughout the whole Mediterranean region, and in other areas with similar hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters, including California, southwest South Africa and southern Australia. It can also be grown successfully in areas with cooler, moister summers, such as the British Isles, New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest (coastal Oregon, Washington and British Columbia). It is also planted in Florida and parts of the coastal southern United States as an ornamental tree. In some areas, particularly the United States, it is known as "Italian" or "Tuscan cypress". Commonly seen throughout New Mexico, the Mediterranean cypress is also known as the "drama tree" because of its tendency to bend with even the slightest of breezes.[citation needed]
4000-year-old Cypress of Abarqu, Iran

The vast majority of the trees in cultivation are selected cultivars with a fastigiate crown, with erect branches forming a narrow to very narrow crown often less than a tenth as wide as the tree is tall. The dark green "exclamation mark" shape of these trees is a highly characteristic signature of Mediterranean town and village landscapes. Formerly, the species was sometimes separated into two varieties, the wild C. sempervirens var. sempervirens (syn. var. horizontalis), and the fastigiate C. s. var. pyramidalis (syn. var. fastigiata, var. stricta), but the latter is now only distinguished as a Cultivar Group, with no botanical significance.[citation needed]

It is also known for its very durable, scented wood, used most famously for the doors of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, Rome. Cypress used to be used in distilleries as staves to hold mash ferments to make alcohol before the invention of stainless steel.[citation needed]

In cosmetics it is used as astringent, firming, anti-seborrheic, anti-dandruff, anti-aging and as fragrance.[3] It is also the traditional wood used for Italian harpsichords.[4]
Iran's ancient cypresses

Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, was the first choice for Iranian gardens. In all of the famous Persian Gardens, such as Fin Garden, Shazdeh Garden, Dowlat-Abad, and others, this tree plays a central role in their design.[citation needed] The oldest living cypress is the Sarv-e-Abarkooh in Iran's Yazd Province. Its age is estimated to be approximately 4,000 years.[5]
Symbolism

In classical antiquity, the cypress was a symbol of mourning and in the modern era it remains the principal cemetery tree in both the Muslim world and Europe. In the classical tradition, the cypress was associated with death and the underworld because it failed to regenerate when cut back too severely. Athenian households in mourning were garlanded with boughs of cypress.[6] Cypress was used to fumigate the air during cremations.[7] It was among the plants that were suitable for making wreaths to adorn statues of Pluto, the classical ruler of the underworld.[8]

The poet Ovid, who wrote during the reign of Augustus, records the best-known myth that explains the association of the cypress with grief. The handsome boy Cyparissus, a favorite of Apollo, accidentally killed a beloved tame stag. His grief and remorse were so inconsolable that he asked to weep forever. He was transformed into cupressus sempervirens, with the tree's sap as his tears.[9] In another version of the story, it was the woodland god Silvanus who was the divine companion of Cyparissus and who accidentally killed the stag. When the boy was consumed by grief, Silvanus turned him into a tree, and thereafter carried a branch of cypress as a symbol of mourning.[10]

In Greek mythology, besides Cyparissus, the cypress is also associated with Artemis and Hecate, a goddess of magic, crossroads and the underworld. Ancient Roman funerary rites used it extensively.[citation needed]

The most famous Muslim cemetery in Turkey where C. sempervirens is used widely is Istanbul Karacaahmet Cemetery. In Istanbul Turkish the tree is referred to as "mezarlık servisi" (cemetery tree); its common name in Turkish and the name used in Turkish forestry is "kara selvi" (black cypress). Cypresses are mentioned extensively in the Shahnameh, the great Iranian epic poem by Ferdowsi.[citation needed]

In Jewish tradition, the cypress was held to be the wood used to build Noah's Ark and The Temple, and is mentioned as an idiom or metaphor in biblical passages, either referencing the tree's shape as an example of uprightness or its evergreen nature as an example of eternal beauty or health. It is popular in modern Israeli cemeteries, with contemporary explanation being that its shape resembles a candle and its being an evergreen symbolized the immortality of the soul.[citation needed]

In popular culture the Italian cypress is often stereotypically associated with vacation destinations to the Mediterranean region; Italy in particular. The tree has been seen on travel posters for decades.[11][12]

Cypresses (1889) by Vincent van Gogh, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Other van Gogh cypress paintings include Wheat Field with Cypresses and The Starry Night.

Fastigiate Mediterranean cypress Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta', planted in Hawaii

Other characteristics

In July 2012, a forest fire, lasting five days, devastated 20,000 hectares of forest in the Valencian village of Andilla. However, amid the charred landscape, a group of 946 cypress trees about 22 years old was virtually unharmed, and only 12 cypresses were burned. Andilla cypresses were planted by the CypFire European project studying various aspects of the cypresses, including fire resistance.[13]
References

BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
See also Uses section for the differing cultivated variants
Carrasco, F. (2009). "Ingredientes Cosméticos". Diccionario de Ingredientes\ 4ª Ed. www.imagenpersonal.net. p. 267. ISBN 978-84-613-4979-1.
Hubbard, Frank (1965). Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making. Harvard University Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-674-88845-6.
Craig Glenday, ed. (2011). Guinness World Records. BANTAM DELL. p. 95. ISBN 9781904994671.
Servius, note to Vergil's Aeneid 3.680.
Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae 17.7.34.
Natalis Comes, Mythologiae 2.9.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.106ff.
Servius, note to Vergil's Georgics 1.20.
"Image: Italian_Lakes,_travel_poster_for_ENIT,_ca._1930.jpg, (3091 × 5015 px)". upload.wikimedia.org. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
"Image: 01422-2T.jpg, (300 × 453 px)". postercorner.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.

"The curious case of Valencia's flameproof cypresses". sociedad.elpais.com. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-06.