38 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



GENUS CUPRESSUS, TOURNEFORT. 



Leaves persistent, small, scale-like, decussately opposite, thick, rounded or 

 keeled, adnate to and decurrent upon the stem, usually glandular-pitted on the 

 back, appressed or slightly spreading at the pointed oV rounded apex, margin 

 entire or denticulate ; leaves on vigorous young shoots commonly awl-shaped or 

 linear lanceolate and spreading ; branchlets not forming flat sprays. Flowers 

 appear in early spring, monoscious, in small catkins terminating the leafy 

 branchlets ; the staminate anients oblong or cylindrical, consisting of a few pairs 

 of decussately opposite, yellowish ovate or orbicular subpeltate scales attached to 

 the under sides of each of which are two to six subglobose pendulous anther-cells 

 opening by a longitudinal slit ; pollen-grains simple. The pistillate flowers 

 terminate short branchlets, subglobose ; scales thick, ovate acute and bearing 

 attached to their bases on the inner surface generally numerous, erect, orthotro- 

 pous bottle-shaped ovules. Fruit a subglobose, short-stalked, rugose, woody cone, 

 generally maturing the second year, scales closely valvate, peltate, polygonal in 

 outline at apex, flattened and bearing more or less prominent central bosses, at 

 maturity opening along their margins and persisting after liberating their 

 numerous irregularly compressed acutely angled thick-coated seeds, which are 

 borne in several rows on the base of the scale ; embryo erect in fleshy albumen, 

 cotyledons usually two. 



Genus consists of resinous trees with generally fragrant wood of considerable 

 economic value, especially in Japan. About a half dozen species are found in the 

 United States along the Pacific slope. 



(Gupressus is the classical Latin name of the Cypress tree.) 



239- CUPRESSUS ARIZONICA, GREENE. 



ARIZONA CYPRESS. 



Ger., Arizonische Cypresse ; Fr., Cypress & Arizona; Sp., Cipres 



de Arizona. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves acute, about f in. long, thick, acuminate, 

 without glands or obscurely glandular pitted on the bark, pale glaucous green 

 and closely appressed, forming a nearly quadriangular branchlet. Flowers open 

 in very early spring, the staminate in great profusion on the tips of branchlets, 

 are oblong, nearly in. in length, and with 6-8 stamens bearing yellow peltate 

 connectives slightly rugose on the margins. Fruit a puberulous subglobose pale 

 brown cone - in. in diameter, thickly covered with a glaucous bloom, raised 

 on a short peduncle and with generally six (sometimes 4 or 8) thick rugose scales 

 with prominent incurved bosses, and beneath each are several irregularly com- 

 pressed seeds from -fa-^ in. in length, with thin light brown lateral margins 

 which serve as narrow wings. 



A tree occasionally attaining the height of 60 or 70 ft. (20 m.) with 

 rather open wide pyramidal head of horizontal branches, and trunk 

 sometimes 3 or 4 ft. (1 m.) in diameter, vested in a fibrous grayish 

 brown bark fissured lengthwise in rather narrow ridges which exfoliate 

 in strips, and these hanging a long time attached give a decidedly 

 shaggy appearance to the older trunks. 



HABITAT. The Arizona Cypress is locally distributed on the 

 mountains of central, eastern and southern Arizona and southward on 

 the mountains of Sonora and Chiricahua, at elevations of from five to 

 eight thousand feet above sea level. It is generally scattered among 

 other trees' as the Alligator Juniper, Chiricahua Pine, Arizona and 



