False Cypress

False cypress trees thrive in areas where there is full sun or partial shade with moist and well-drained soils. In order to maintain a conical shape, it is recommended to prune, which means to remove parts of a plant that do not help with its growth or production, or that are not pleasing to the eye. These species are evergreen, which means they have a foliage that remains green for more than one growing season; they do not lose their leaves with the seasons.

False cypress are also monoecious conifers, meaning that they have both female and male cones on the same tree. They produce globose to oval cones which are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, meaning that they cross or intersect forming an ‘X’ like shape. Female cones have 8-12 scales per cone, are green during the warmer months, and mature as winter approaches. Mature cones turn brown in color. Pollination, where wind transfers pollen from the male to the female cones, tends to occur from March to May. After pollination, the seed cones mature from September to October, and they release seeds that are dispersed mainly through the wind. 

Two types of leaves are found on False cypress, and both types of leaves are common among other non-flowering trees. The first type is needle-like leaves. These are found on young juvenile seedlings. The second type is scale-like leaves, and these are found on the adults in the Chamaecyparis group. Branches are flattened and frond-like. Even though these trees are evergreen, the leaves will turn brown and eventually die off; however, they will not all fall at once.

As mentioned earlier, these species of trees are prized for their highly scented wood in Japan. Additionally, they are used for hedges and rock gardens due to their ornamental characteristics. The cones produced by these animals are eaten by wildlife animals such as turkeys, rabbits, and squirrels. Humans can drink tea made out of these species by infusing some oil produced by them, which provides a calming, relaxed feeling. 

Finally, some specific plants that belong to the Chamaecyparis species are disease and decay resistant. For example, the Hinoki false cypress, Atlantic white-cedar and others; to name but a few. These trees all fall into a larger group of plants called the gymnosperms, which  produce seeds without ever making flowers or fruits. Other gymnosperms include Ginkgo trees, which have been largely unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs. You can find a giant Ginkgo tree and other large gymnosperms around Bunce Circle! I encourage you to look around Rowan University’s campus to find other gymnosperms and learn about them. And last but not the least, I would like to thank you for taking your time to learn about the False cypress trees.

These resources are a product of Dr. Sara Wright’s Plant Diversity course in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department. My name is Dhara Patel, and I will earn my Biological Sciences degree in 2023. I plan to pursue a career in Dentistry. You can read more about me and the False Cypress Tree below.