Cupressaceae
Cypress Family
The Cupressaceae family (Cypress Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Pinales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 9 species across 4 genera. Its members are predominantly trees. Well-represented genera include Cupressus, Juniperus and Platycladus. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Rough-barked Arizona Cypress, Mourning Cypress and Portuguese Cypress.
Browse all 9 species ↓
Small, scale-like or needle-like leaves pressed tightly against the twig in overlapping ranks; reproduction is by cones rather than flowers — the tiny, often berry-like seed cones, as in juniper, are actually fused fleshy cone-scales, not a true fruit.
As conifers, the family has no flowers, petals, or fruit in the true sense — 'berries' like juniper's are botanically cones, their scales fused and fleshy instead of woody.
Which Cupressaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Cupressaceae species.
Typical leaf characters
- ArrangementVariable
- TypeVariable
- MarginVariable
- VenationVariable
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
- Flower symmetryVariable
- InflorescenceVariable
- FruitBerry
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
All 9 species in CUPRESSACEAE
- Rough-Barked Arizona CypressCupressus arizonica
- Mourning CypressCupressus funebris
- Portuguese CypressCupressus lusitanica
- Italian CypressCupressus sempervirens
- The Himalayan CypressCupressus torulosa
- African Juniper, African CedarJuniperus procera
- Flaky JuniperJuniperus squamata
- MorpankhiPlatycladus orientalis
- Oriental Arbor-VitaeThuja orientalis
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