Cypress
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Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs. Most plants bearing the common name cypress are in the genera Cupressus and Chamaecyparis, but several other genera in the family also carry the name. The word "cypress" is derived from Old French "cipres", which was imported from Latin "cyparissus," the romanization of the Greek "κυπάρισσος" (kyparissos).[1][2]
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- African Cypress (Widdringtonia species)
- Bald, Pond, and Montezuma Cypresses (Taxodium species)
- Chinese Swamp Cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis)
- Cordilleran Cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis)
- Cypress (Callitropsis species)
- Cypress (Cupressus species)
- Cypress-pines (Actinostrobus species)
- Cypress-pines (Callitris species)
- "False" Cypress (Chamaecyparis species)
- Fujian Cypress (Fokienia hodginsii)
- Guaitecas Cypress (Pilgerodendron uviferum)
- Patagonian Cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides)
- Sargent Cypress (Cupressus sargentii)
- Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata)
The Cupressaceae family also contains 13-16 other genera (not listed above) that as of yet do not bear cypress in their common names.
The word cypress is also used as a descriptor for the angiosperm vine in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, known as the Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit). The plant called "summer cypress" is Kochia scoparia (Amaranthaceae).
DNA analysis has shown that redwood trees are also in the cypress family.
Cypress trees can be used in the making of shingles. Joshua D. Brown, the first settler of Kerrville, Texas, made his living producing shingles from cypress growing along the Guadalupe River of the Texas Hill Country.[3]
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[edit] Iran's ancient cypresses
Cypress was the first choice for Iranian Gardens. In all of the famous Persian Gardens, such as Fin Garden, Mahaan, Dowlat-Abad, and others, this tree plays a central role in their design. The oldest living Cypress is the Sarv-e-Abarkooh in Iran's Yazd Province. Its age is estimated to be approximately 4000 years.
[edit] Symbolism
In Greek mythology, the cypress is associated with Artemis. Ancient Roman funerary rites used it extensively. Cupressus sempervirens is the principal cemetery tree both in the Western and Muslim worlds. Cypresses are used extensively the Shahnameh, the great Iranian epic poem by Ferdowsi.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cupressus sempervirens |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ κυπάρισσος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cypress
- ^ Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Kerrville, Texas, 1971
