Chamaecyparis Pisifera - Sawara Falsecypress (Cupressaceae) ------Chamaecyparis Pisifera Is Known Mainly for Its Smaller USAGE Evergreen Variants

Chamaecyparis pisifera - Sawara Falsecypress (Cupressaceae) ------Chamaecyparis pisifera is known mainly for its smaller USAGE evergreen variants. Sawara Falsecypress are shrubs that Function have distinctive growth habits and vibrant foliage colors -focal point, specimen, entranceway, or foundation shrub rather than the straight species. Texture -fine texture FEATURES -thick density Form Assets -usually a medium- to large-sized -foliage color variants that are "evergreen" evergreen shrub -variable growth habits for different cultivars -the species form, which is rarely Liabilities available in the nursery trade, is a -yellow-foliaged types, which must be placed in full sun 60' tall x 20' wide tree, but the for best color, are prone to winter burn without small, medium, and large shrub protection from the winter sun and harsh winds forms commonly available in the -'Boulevard' has its dead interior needles remain on the trade range from 3'-20' tall x similar widths, depending stems, which gives an untidy appearance upon cultivar Habitat -upright pyramidal to pendulous -Zones 4 to 8 irregular growth habits, depending -Native to Japan upon cultivar -slow growth rate SELECTIONS -a plant whose species form would be unrecognizable to Alternates most horticulturists, since the odd-looking cultivars are -foliage color variant shrubs that are "evergreen" (Abies the exclusive selections in the nursery trade; 2 common koreana 'Horstmann's Silberlocke', Chamaecyparis types exist: obtusa 'Crippsii', Juniperus chinensis 'Saybrook Gold', •Threadleaf types, which have stringy, pendulous Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star', Pinus sylvestris 'Glauca combinations of awl-like or scale-like foliage, of green Nana', Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold', etc.) or golden-yellow color, on broadly spreading shrubs Cultivars – Variants – Related species •Squarrosa types, with short, fluffy, twisting-needle type -the native species is 60' x 20' with green-colored foliage foliage that is usually blue-silver, on upright shrubs with that occurs in "sprays", rarely seen in Western cultivation a central leader and rarely available in the trade Culture A sampling of common cultivars that look totally unlike -full sun to partial sun the species form are: -prefers moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic -Chamaecyparis soils, but is adaptable to poor soils, dry soils, alkaline pisifera 'Boulevard' soils, compacted soils, heat, and drought (also known as -few disease or pest problems 'Cyanoviridis' or -commonly available in containers or B&B form, with 'Squarrosa Cyano- many cultivars viridis') - Blue Foliage Falsecypress - -scale-like or awl- foliage is composed like leaves press of tight, fluffy close to the thready clusters of silver- stems (for 'Filifera' blue short needles or 'Mop' types) or (as are many of the fluffy, short, 'Squarrosa' types), juvenile-foliaged- forming a pyramidal type needles stick habit to 12' x 5', with out from the stems the liability of interior foliage being persistent, dead, tan- (for 'Boulevard' colored, and quite visible; it can be removed by rubbing types) the stems with a gloved hand, but this becomes -"evergreen" increasingly difficult as the shrub grows in size although the foliage -'Filifera' - usually 6' x 8' but can be larger; green foliage of many cultivars is is scale-like, covering thin pendulous stems with an yellow, gold, or overall semi-weeping habit blue-silver in color -'Golden Mop' (also known as 'Gold Mop' or 'Mops') - Flowers/Cones Mops Falsecypress - yellow scale-like foliage covers the -ornamentally inconspicuous thin pendulous (mop-like) stems with a relatively low Fruits/Cones semi-weeping habit, slowly maturing to 5' x 7'; the -ornamentally inconspicuous golden-yellow color stays that way if the plant is sited in Twigs full sun, unlike many other "golden" cultivars which fade -thin and brown, and often hidden by the foliage by mid-summer to yellowish green; unfortunately, the Trunk exposure of 'Golden Mop' in full sun also makes it prone -often not seen on the cultivar forms, being somewhat to winter burn in northern climates, creating unattractive hidden by the evergreen foliage, but exfoliating in thin yellow-brown foliage throughout much of the winter reddish-brown strips on larger specimens