Cypress

(botany) The common name for members of the genus Cupressus and several related species in the order Pinales.

The true cypress (Cupressus), which is very close botanically to the cedars (Chamaecyparis). All of the species of Cupressus in the United States are western and are found from Oregon to Mexico. The Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) of the southwestern United States and the Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) of California are medium-sized trees and are chiefly of ornamental value. The Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) and its varieties are handsome ornamentals, but usually do well only in the southern parts of the United States. Other trees are also called cypress, such as the Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) known also as the Lawson cypress, and the Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), known also as the Nootka cypress or cedar.

The bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is an entirely different tree that is found in the swamps of the South Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and in the lower Mississippi Valley. The soft needlelike leaves and short branches are deciduous; hence, they drop off in winter and give the tree its common name. Also known as the southern or red cypress, this tree yields a valuable decay-resistant wood used principally for building construction, especially for exposed parts or where a high degree of resistance to decay is required as in ships, boats, greenhouses, railway cars, and railroad ties. See also Cedar; Pinales.