Cypress
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Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the conifer family Cupressaceae (cypress family) of north temperate regions. Most plants which bear the common name cypress are in the genera Cupressus and Chamaecyparis, but several other genera in the family also carry the name, including:
- Cupressaceae
- Cypress (Cupressus species)
- Cypress (Chamaecyparis species)
- Cypress (Callitropsis species)
- African Cypress (Widdringtonia species)
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium species)
- Chinese Swamp Cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis)
- Cordilleran Cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis)
- Fujian Cypress (Fokienia hodginsii)
- Guaitecas Cypress (Pilgerodendron uviferum)
- Patagonian Cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides)
- Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata)
- Cypress-pines (Actinostrobus species)
- Cypress-pines (Callitris species)
- Sargent Cypress (Cupressus sargentii)
The word Cypress is also used as a descriptor for the angiosperm vine in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, known as the Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit). The plant called "summer cypress" is Kochia scoparia (Amaranthaceae).
DNA analysis has shown that redwood trees are also in the cypress family.
Cypress trees can be used in the making of shingles. Joshua D. Brown, the first settler of Kerrville, Texas, made his living producing shingles from cypress growing along the Guadalupe River of the Texas Hill Country.[1]
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[edit] Iran's ancient cypresses
Cypress was the first choice for Iranian Gardens. In all of the famous Persian Gardens, such as Fin Garden, Mahaan, Dowlat-Abad, and others, this tree plays a central role in their design. The oldest living Cypress is the Sarv-e-Abarkooh in Iran's Yazd Province. Its age is estimated to be approximately 4000 years.
[edit] Symbolism
In Greek mythology, the cypress is associated with the underworld, grief and mourning. Ancient Roman funerary rites used it extensively. Cupressus sempervirens is the principal cemetery tree both in the Western and Muslim worlds.
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