From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
| Atlantic white cypress | ||||||||||||||
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| Chamaecyparis thyoides |
Atlantic white cypress (Chamaecyparis thyoides), is an evergreen coniferous tree in the Genus Chamaecyparis, Family Cupressaceae. It is also known as "Atlantic white cedar" (confusing because it is a cypress, not a cedar). It is native to the Atlantic coast of North America from Maine south to Georgia, with a subspecies, Gulf white cypress (Chamaecyparis thyoides subsp. henryae), native to the Mexican Gulf coast from Florida to Mississippi.
It is a small tree, reaching 15-25 m tall, with feathery foliage in moderately flattened sprays, usually somewhat glaucous blue-green in colour. The leaves are scale-like, 2-4mm long, and produced on somewhat flattened shoots. The cones are globose, 4-8mm diameter, with 6-10 scales.
It is of some importance in horticulture, with several named cultivars of varying crown shape, growth rates and foliage colour having been selected for garden planting.
