Cupressus cashmeriana.
Weeping or Kashmir cypress.
Division Pinophyta > Order Pinales > Family Cupressaceae.
An evergreen tree from 20 to 45 m tall commonly grown as an ornamental feature.
Most of these are cultivars with variations in shape, foliage colour, leaf coating etc.
The ‘Weeping’ name comes from the very drooping foliage which is flattened in one plane.
In young trees the leaves are soft and needle-like.
Adult leaves are triangular and scale-like, have no stalk, and are a blue-green.
Most are 1 to 2 mm long but up to 5 mm on growing tips.
Leaves are decussate – in opposite pairs with each pair at right angles to those above and below.
They have a bluish-white coating or bloom (glaucous) which rubs off.
The coating, with the flat foliage, can make branches appear silvery, whitish or blue.
Pollen cones are 3 to 5 mm long.
The ovoid seed cones are up to about 20 mm long with 8 to 12 scales.
The bract scales are fused to the seed scales.
J.F.
