Chinese Weeping Cypress

Often classified in Chamaecyparis on account of its flattened foliage sprays and relatively few seeds in small cones; however, it is here placed in Cupressus because of its developmental characters (cones maturing in 2nd year) and chemical composition of biflavones.

Trees to 35 m tall; trunk to 2 m d.b.h.; branchlets arranged in a plane, pendulous, green, slender, flattened, ca. 1 mm wide. Leaves densely appressed, scalelike, dimorphic, 1-1.5 mm, apex sharply pointed; facial pairs with a linear abaxial gland; lateral pairs folded face-to-face, overlapping basal part of facial pairs, ridged abaxially. Pollen cones ellipsoid or ovoid, 2.5-5 mm; microsporophylls 10-14. Seed cones dark brown when ripe, globose, 0.8-1.5 cm in diam.; cone scales 6-8(-12), 5-angular, each fertile scale with 3-5(or 6) seeds. Seeds light brown, lustrous, obovate-rhombic or suborbicular, flattened, 2.5-3.5 mm. Cotyledons 2. Pollination Mar-May, seed maturity May-Jun. 2n = 22*.

Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, N Guangdong, N Guangxi, E Guizhou, Henan, W Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; also widely cultivated in S China

* Below 2000 m.

Chamaecyparis funebris (Endlicher) Franco; Cupressus funebris var. gracilis Carriere.