Download Featured Plant of the Month January 2012 Italian Cypress.docx

Featured Plant of the Month, January, 2012
Italian Cypress
Cupressus sempervirens
Location: In front of the Mary Alice Marshall Performing Arts Center (MAMPAC).
This often used landscaping plant is in the Cupressaceae (Cypress Family). The Cupressaceae are the
most widely distributed of the conifers; the family includes the junipers and the redwoods. Most of the
genera in this family are evergreen but there are three genera that are deciduous. One familiar
deciduous plant in this family is the Bald Cypress, Taxodium districhum. The Latin specific epithet of
Cupressus sempervirens (semper= always, virens= green) points out the evergreen characteristic of the
Italian Cypress. The Italian Cypress is an Old World species of this family that is native to southern
Europe and western Asia. It is the classical slender cypress described by classical Greek and Roman
writers. This tree is widely cultivated and used as an ornamental in this country. The Arizona Cypress,
Cupressus arizonica, is an example of a New World member of the same genus; C. arizonica is native in
Texas only in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park in Brewster County.
The leaves of the Italian Cypress are needle-like in young plants and are flattened or scale-like in mature
plants. The leaves are arranged in decussate pairs or whorls and may remain on the tree for several
years before being replaced. When leaves are decussate they are oppositely arranged on the stem with
the pairs or whorls at a right angle to the pair or whorl above and below it. When the leaves are shed or
replaced they do not fall as individual leaves but as small sprays. The leaves darken to a deeper green as
they mature. The trees may reach heights of 40 to 60 feet with spreads of 3 to 6 feet. C. sempervirens
retains a columnar shape with dense foliage. There are other varieties that have a more horizontal
branching pattern and are less compact. There are various pigmentations with some varieties having a
blue-green pigmentation; C. sempervirens var. glauca is an example. C. sempervirens var. stricta has a
very narrow columnar shape and is very dark green.
The Italian Cypress is a gymnosperm (Greek, gymnos=naked, sperm=seed) which means that the seeds
are not produced in enclosed fruits. Pollen that is usually wind-borne in the gymnosperms delivers the
sperm nuclei to the ovules and seeds are produced. When the seeds mature and the leaf-like structures
of the female cone dry and open out the seeds are dispersed. The seeds fall or some species have wings
that aid in their dispersal. The female cones are larger than the pollen-producing cones. When the male
and female cones are on the same plant the plant is said to be monoecious.
The Italian Cypress is a beautiful tree that can be used in allees or as single specimen, but they do need
to be carefully placed in a landscape. They are effective against buildings that need vertical accents.
One common name is the Graveyard Cypress because of the traditional use of this plant in cemeteries.
They grow well in almost any soil that drains and is amended with organic matter. They are drought
tolerant but a good soaking occasionally during hot weather will help keep them healthy. Stressed trees
are vulnerable and may fall prey to spider mites causing the leaves to turn brown. Bagworms can also
be a problem.
References:
Conquest, Arthur. Basic Botany.
Dirr, Michael A. Dirr’s Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates.
Sperry, Neil. Neil Sperry’s Complete Guide to Texas Gardening.
Vines, Robert A. Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southwest.
Internet Search: Cupressus sempervirens, Cupressaceae.