Evergreen cypress - what is it and how it looks
Content:
Cypress is an evergreen plant that belongs to the Cypress family. These are heat-loving plants. In landscape design, it is used as a single plant and in alleys, it can grow in open ground and in pots. In nature, there are about 15 species of cypress, each of which differs in height, color, crown shape, growing conditions.
Evergreen cypress - what is it and how it looks
The tree can have a straight or curved trunk. It is covered with a thin smooth bark, which in youth has a light brown color, then gradually darkens, becomes gray-brown and is covered with grooves.
What does cypress look like?
Young individuals look more fluffy due to subulate leaves that lag behind the branch. As they grow, they become scaly and nestle against the shoots. The color of the greenery is dark green.
In the first years of life, the leaves are acicular, resembling spruce needles. In the fourth year of life, they become scaly. If you look closely, each leaf has a groove that differs in texture and color. This is an oily gland. The description of the cypress will be incomplete, if you do not note the incredible aroma of the needles.
Cypress trees feel good both in the sun and in the shade, they tolerate temperatures as low as -20 ° C. Thanks to the soft needles, it is easy to cut to give a beautiful shape.
Adult specimens easily tolerate a transplant, but you should be careful not to damage sensitive roots, you need to transplant with an earthen clod. When buying a seedling, its roots must also be covered and protected.
Despite the possibility of self-seeding, it is easier and faster to plant a plant by cuttings at home. The tree begins to bloom from March to May. The pollen turns into dirty green shoots and can cause allergies, while woodworms and moths are deterred.
Where does cypress grow
The homeland of the coniferous tree is North America. In nature, the tree is widespread in Guatemala and California, it can be found in other countries of the northern hemisphere. It also grows in the USA, China, Lebanon, Syria, Crimea, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, the subtropics and tropics of the Mediterranean. On New Year's holidays, they decorate cypress instead of a Christmas tree.
Plant needles
Cypress - coniferous or deciduous tree
The plant sounds like "Cupressus" in Latin. It does not have sharp needles, visually its crown is similar to foliage, so people ask themselves: is cypress a coniferous tree or deciduous?
What is cypress, you can understand by studying the classification:
- kingdom - plants;
- department - conifers;
- class - conifers;
- order - pine;
- family - Cypress;
- genus - Cypress.
The answer is unequivocal, cypress is a coniferous tree, its crown is correctly called needles. In addition, seeds are used for reproduction, which ripen in cones.
Cypress - gymnosperms
When they say that a plant is gymnospermous, this means that its seeds are not located in the fruits and are not protected by anything, that is, they are open. Such plants have neither flowers nor fruits.
Almost all gymnosperms are evergreens, they form ovules, which eventually turn into seeds covered with flat scales attached to a stem. In conifers and shrubs, the ovules resemble a spiral in shape and form cones.
Cypress is a genus of trees that is monoecious. This means that both male and female cones are gray-brown in color on each tree. The diameter of each is 3.5 cm, there are several seeds under each scale. Cones ripen in the second year of life.
Cones
How much cypress grows
Cypress is a long-liver; at home, its life is up to 300 years, in natural conditions up to 1-2 thousand years.
The fastest growing evergreen cypress shows in its youth, in the first three years of life. During this period, the plant reaches 1-2 m, after which it adds another half a meter per year. At 50 years of age, growth stops and is slow, and reaches a maximum height by 100 years and is 30 m.
Is there a cypress shrub
Speaking of cypress, many people imagine it as an elongated plant with a triangular or spreading crown. Most of the species are really slender and tall, but there are also lush spreading shrubs in nature, the maximum height of which is 2 m, for example, the view is horizontal.
Cypress: types and description
Each type has its own characteristics and will fit perfectly into the garden area. The most popular type is pyramidal. Less famous, but no less attractive, is Italian.
It is radically different from all other species of marsh cypress or two-row taxodium. It grows on swampy soils or along the banks of sluggish rivers. Having chosen the right place for planting, you can grow it yourself by purchasing seeds or a seedling. The root system of the marsh species is pivotal, so a permanent place of growth is immediately selected. Decorativeness is given by pseumatophores or lateral rhizomes, which grow along the entire trunk and create a wall around the plant. There is no need to care for such a tree.
Swamp view
Pyramidal cypress
Evergreen pyramidal cypress (Cupressus Sempervirens) is a tall coniferous tree. It has a dense crown, which rises into the sky like an arrow.
Pyramidal view
It grows slowly, the maximum height of the cypress is 20-40 m. The peak of growth reaches 80-100 years. The wood is gray-brown, dark.
The roots of the tree are sensitive and you need to be careful with them when replanting and gardening. Even with minor damage, the tree can dry out.
The leaves of the pyramidal cypress densely cover the spreading branched branches. Young leaves are thin and sharp, more like needles. As they grow, they become soft and resemble scales. There is an oily gland on the underside.
The needles are small, bright green. Soft to the touch, it is impossible to prick with it. The needles of an elongated rhombic shape are located crosswise and tightly pressed against the shoots. The length of each scale is 10-15 cm.
Male and female cones reach maturity by the end of the second year of life and are round or oval in shape. Young fruits have a green tint, by the end of ripening they are covered with scales and darken. The diameter of each cone is 3 cm. The seeds remain viable for up to 6 years.
Italian cypress
The Italian cypress loves the sun. It is planted on loose, drained soil, which requires feeding every two years.
Small needle-shaped leaves eventually become scaly diamond-shaped. In landscape design, it is used to create an accent on a plot or hedge.
This species is resistant to droughts and frosts, does not require special care.
The maximum plant height is 20-25 m. The root system of Italian cypress, like other species, is fibrous, shallow and sensitive.
Cypress is not the most expensive tree, but even those who cannot afford to plant a hedge or make a composition of several trees should remember that a coniferous specimen will look great alone. At the same time, you do not need to worry about which side of the site to plant it on, it is completely picky about growing conditions.
