Chamaecyparis formosensis

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Chamaecyparis formosensis
Chamaecyparis formosensis
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Chamaecyparis Species: C. formosensis
Binomial name
Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum.

Chamaecyparis formosensis (Formosan Cypress; Chinese: 紅檜/红桧 hong gui) is a species of Chamaecyparis, endemic to Taiwan, where it grows in the central mountains at moderate to high altitudes of 1000–2900 m. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-cutting for its valuable timber.^[1][2][3]

It is a slow-growing, but long-lived and ultimately large to very large coniferous tree growing to 55–60 m tall with a trunk up to 7 m in diameter. The bark is red-brown, vertically fissured and with a stringy texture. The foliage is arranged in flat sprays; adult leaves are scale-like, 1–3 mm long, with pointed tips, green both above and below with only an inconspicuous stomatal band at the base of each scale-leaf; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs on the shoots. The juvenile leaves, found on young seedlings, are needle-like, 4–8 mm long, soft and glaucous bluish-green. The cones are ovoid-oblong, 6–12 mm long and 4–8 mm diameter, with 8–16 scales arranged in opposite pairs, maturing in autumn about 7–8 months after pollination.^[1]

It is most closely related to the Japanese Chamaecyparis pisifera (Sawara Cypress), which differs in smaller globose cones 4–8 mm long with 6–10 scales.^[1]

The wood is soft, very resistant to decay, and strongly scented; it is highly valued in traditional Chinese building, particularly for temples and shrines. This has led to excessive harvesting, resulting in the species now being endangered. A small number of the oldest and largest specimens are protected as national monuments, but much of the general population of the species still remains unprotected.^[1]

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