Week 6; Wednesday Announcements: Exam back in lab (on your way out…) Average 66, median 68, range 30-96 – explain distribution, grading, regrades, etc.

Thuja – 5 extant found throughout Asia and North America with 2 species native to US

Thuja plicata – Western Red Cedar Very shade tolerant occupying mesic forests from sea level to 6000’ in the and disjunct in the northern Rockies (like Taxus bevifolia). Commonly associated with western hemlock, grand fir, western larch, western white pine and sitka . Champion on the Olympic Peninsula is 277’ tall and 21’ in diameter!

• 150’-200’ • Leaves scale-like, decussate, and appressed to flattened twigs. Facial leaves are flattened and grooved – laterals are keeled and rounded. glaucescent to glaucous below. Branchlets arranged in sprays and shed in units. • Older trees with buttressed trunk, and are typically hollow – mature at 350 yrs, but may live in excess of 1200 yrs. • interlacing, cinnamon reddish to gray on older trees to 1” thick – not fire resistant • Shallow, wide spreading root system • Monoecious • Ovuliferous cones erect with 8-12 opposite cone scales. Bracts and scales are fused for most of their length, but the outer tips are noticeably separated. • cones borne near base of branchlettes

Very important timber tree – decay resistant . Widely planted in and . Extremely important resource to many Native American tribes – , totem poles, bark used for thatching, , baskets. Etc.

Thuja occidentalis – northern white cedar – arborvitae (tree of life) –

Tea made foliage was used to cure scurvy during Jacque Cartier’s Canadian expedition around 1550 – lead to name Arborvitae. First N. American tree taken back to Europe in 1561.

Occupies wide variety of habitats but common in ‘white cedar swamps” of northern deciduous zone. • Tree 40-50’ tall and 2-3’ diameter • Leaves scale-like decussate, and appressed to twigs, prominent gland on facials, not very glaucous – and if so, yellowish bloom • Bark comprised of interlacing ridges, gray to reddish brown – not fire resistant • Shallow wide root system • Older trees are hollow • Monoecious

24 • Ovuliferous cones are erect with 8-12 opposite cone scales. Bracts and scales are fused for most of their length, but the outer tips are only minutely (or not at all) separated. • Also reproduces by layering

Decay resistant wood – popular ornamental, over 100 , very common on campus.

Calocedrus decurrens – incense cedar

Occupies moist slopes in the southern , Sierra Nevada and Coast ranges from 1000’- 9200’. Commonly occurs with giganteum (giant ), Pinus jeffreyi (jeffrey pine), and Abies concolor (white fir) in the Sierra Nevada, and with Pinus lambertiana (sugar pine), Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine), menziessii (), Pinus monticola (western white pine), and Abies concolor (white fir) in the Cascades and Coast ranges. Rarely forms pure stands – more shade tolerant than most of its associated species. • Trees, 75’-100’ and 3’-4’ in diameter – slow growing – 300 years at maturity • Leaves scale-like, 4-ranked, decurrent - appressed to flattened twigs except at tips, longer than wide – laterals nearly completely surrounding facials, lustrous • Branchlets arranged alternately into flattened sprays • Bark yellowish brown to cinnamon-red, fibrous, 3-8” thick – old trees are fire resistant • Root system has well-developed lateral roots to moderate depths • Ovuliferous cones reddish with 3 pairs of scale/bract and one central – 4 or fewer seeds/cone • Produces good seed crop in 3-6 year cycles • Reproduction is abundant on moist soils – young trees are not fire resistant

Wood commonly used in pencils, lumber used for exterior siding – widely planted ornamental

Chamaecyparis – white cedars, false (pp. 28-31. Note book includes )

5 spp. – 2 in Japan, 1 in Taiwan, 2 in North America. Formerly included Xanthocyparis nootkatensis (formerly nootkatensis), but molecular phylogenetic studies found traditional Chamaecyparis to be polyphyletic – see Xanthocyparis. Commonly referred to as “white cedars” – not to be confused with northern white cedar () – PROBLEM WITH COMMON NAMES!

Have scale leaves, but branchlets are more rounded than the other “cedars” in (e.g., Thuja, )

25 Week 6; Friday Announcements: Regrades due by next Wednesday – quiz next Wednesday, through Abies.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana – Port Orford cedar Occupies sites with ample soil and atmospheric moisture – similar to redwood in that respect, but not as demanding. Range spans the transition zone between trees of the Pacific Northwest and California – found in SW and NW California – unusual to span this biogeographic/floristic break. Found from sea level to 5000’. Moderately shade tolerant and rarely forms pure stands around Coos Bay, OR Commonly associated with Douglas fir, western red cedar, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce in the PNW part of range, and western white pine, sugar pine, Abies magnifica, Calocedrus decurrens, and red alder inland and further south – CA part of range. This species has been seriously damaged by a root rot pathogen – Phytophthora lateralis – that was first discovered in nurseries around 1920. Since then spread to natural populations via human activity – logging equipment to mountain bikers. Of all major forest trees found in western North America, this species has suffered most from human activity. Nearly all old-growth forests have been logged, and the surviving trees are steadily dying from an introduced disease. Wood is highly valued in Japan – only surviving old growth stand now protected. Popular ornamental in N. America and Europe – ca. 200 cultivars. • Tree 140’-180’ tall, 4-6’ in diameter at maturity in 300-350 yrs. – often buttressed • Leaves scale-like, opposite and decussate, flattened facials and boat-shapaed laterals. Tips of laterals diverging from stem on older portions of branch. • Branchlets not as flattened as other “cedars” – more rounded • Leaves with abundant glaucous bloom and characteristic “x” pattern on underside of branchlets • Bark is silvery-brown with rounded ridges and deep furrows - up to 10” thick on older trees • Roots variably shallow to moderately deep and spreading • Monoecious • Overuliferous cone brown and globose with three pairs of opposite, peltate cone scales each with 24 seeds • Produces large seed crops every 3-5 years and seedlings are persistent in moderate shade or full sunlight Chamaecyparis thyoides – Atlantic white cedar Very similar species as C. lawsoniana – smaller (80-85’ tall at maturity). Found in dense, pure stands along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida – characteristic of freshwater swamps, bogs, wet depressions, and stream banks. • Trees 80-85’ at maturity – long lived (1000y), but heavily harvested (e.g., rare in VA) • Branchlets slender, irregularly arranged (not in flattened sprays). • Scale leaves blue-green with white margins, glandular on back • Laterals with pointed, spreading tips, facials closely appressed • Bark fibrous, ash-gray • Globose seed cones 1/4, 4-5 scales, apophysis armed with central boss, blue/purple and glaucous when young, maturing in fall to red-brown

26 Hesperocyparis and s.l. – cypress

The type genus for Cupressaceae. As traditionally circumscribed it is the 2nd largest genus in the family with 28 spp – ca. ½ New World, ½ Old World. Found in China, the Himalayas, Mediterranean, Mexico, and central America. In the New World, the most diversity in CA, where there are many narrow endemic spp. Taxonomically challenging group with some widespread species and complex patterns of morphological variation.

However, recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that Cupressus is not monophyletic – Little (2006) – old world and new world form separate clades. This is a taxonomic nightmare – the type species for Cupressus is part of the Old world clade, suggesting that new world Cupressus needs a new name.

A SUMMARY of the taxonomic nightmare…

1) 2002: Farjon et al. describe a new cypress species from Vietnam, assigning it to a new genus, Xanthocyparis. They also take one of the most unconventional species of Cupressus, C. nootkatensis (assigned by some to Chamaecyparis), and assign it to the new genus.

2) 2006: Little, performing detailed molecular analysis of all species in the genus, concludes that Cupressus is paraphyletic. This is further discussed below, but briefly, Little's work indicates that the New World diverged from a clade that later produced Juniperus. He assigns the New World cypresses and X. nootkatensis to the genus Callitropsis (an old name for X. nootkatensis).

3) 2009: Adams et al. assign X. nootkatensis to the monotypic genus Callitropsis and assign the remaining New World cypresses to a new genus, Hesperocyparis. At the same time (April), de Laubenfels does the same thing, but he erects the genus Neocupressus.

4) 2010: Mao et al. perform a still more detailed molecular analysis that includes nearly all species in Juniperus and all species in Cupressus, Chamaecyparis, Xanthocyparis, and several related monotypic genera. The analysis indicates that Cupressus (sensu strictu) plus Xanthocyparis plus Hesperocyparis comprise a monophyletic clade, sister to Juniperus. This clade is here treated as the genus Cupressus, with four subgenera as delineated below.

Right now, most of us (including USDA ) are recogniozing Adams et al. 2009 treatment – 4 genera…Xanthocyparis (1 species), Callitropsis (1 spp.), Cupressus (restricted to to ~10 old world spp.), Hesperocyparis (~15 spp. w/ 7 in North America), so this is what we will follow.

27 Hesperocyparis – western cypresses - 7 species in N. Am – we’ll look at 2.

Genus: Scale leaves opposite and decussate in 4 uniform ranks forming more or less 4-angled (i.e., square) branchlets. Finely serrate on margins, with resinous gland on abaxial surface Seed cones globose, relatively large, woody or leathery, 6-12 peltate scale/bracts with a central boss or mucro.

Hesperocyparis arizonica – Arizona cypress

Local and rare from Mexico, and southern Texas to southwestern New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Because of small isolated populations with isolated morphological variants, 5 described varieties throughout range

Occupies gravelly and rocky soils on north facing slopes from 2500’ – 6500’ in elevation.

• Tree 50’-65’ and 15”-30” diameter in best growing conditions (i.e., sheltered, watered, good soil etc.) – shrubby, stunted form on excessively dry canyon walls and high elevation slopes. • Mature trees tapered and covered ½ the length with dense conical crown • Bark is scaly and thin on younger trees and furrowed and fibrous on older trees • Grayish-green, scale leaves, opposite and decussate on +/- square branchlets. Resinous gland and glaucous covering on abaxial surface of leaves - fetid odor when bruised/crushed. Some botanists describe odor as similar to cat urine! • Monoecious • Ovuliferous cones globose with 6-8 peltate scale/bracts with bosses and covered with silvery glaucous bloom. Serotinous (opening delayed)

Planted ornamentally in dry regions around the world – heat/drought tolerant.

Hesperocyparis bakeri – Modoc, Baker or Siskiyou cypress

Oregon and California at 3000-7000 ft elevation in mixed forests of the Siskiyou Mountains. As with other cypresses, it is segregated into discrete stands separated, in most cases, by fairly long distances, and usually presumed to represent discrete populations (there are about 9 stands.

• Trees to 30 m; crown broadly columnar, sparse. • Bark smooth at first, later building up in layers. • Branchlets decussate. Leaves with conspicuous, gland that produces drop of resin, slightly glaucous. • Seed cones globose, mostly 1-2 cm, silvery, not glaucous; scales 3-4 pairs, usually covered with resin blisters, umbos often prominent

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