Cupressaceae
Giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum)
The cypress family ( Cupressaceae ) form a family of plants in the order of conifers ( Coniferales ). They also include the previously often considered as an independent family swamp cypress family ( Taxodiaceae ). Cypress family are a very old group of plants: There are fossils of Cupressaceae from the Jura, and molecular data (genetic distances) can be calibrated with some of these fossils, so that the biogeographic history of the family can be traced in detail.
In the conifers the cypress family are the only family - found on all continents and in both hemispheres of the earth - except for Antarctica. The cypress family also have the most species. However, only 133 extant species belong to this family. Numerous species is assigned to only one type.
Description
There are trees or woody shrub-like growing plants.
A common characteristic of the leaf organs that are formed as a needle or scale leaves. Often young shoots are completely obscured by the crosswise opposite or arranged in whorls, scale-like leaf organs. The side edges are distinguished from the sheets lying at the top and bottom surface sheets (see diagram). Surface and edge leaves may differ both in size and in shape.
They are mostly monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ); the juniper (Juniperus ) are an exception and are dioecious ( dioecious ). Showing 1 to 20 formed seeds per cone. The seeds usually do not have wings, there are also taxa with two to three wings on the seeds. Seedlings have two to five cotyledons ( cotyledons ), wherein there are up to nine Taxodium cotyledons.
Habitat
The species, which are summarized in the family of cypress family, cope with very different habitat conditions. Some genera such as Thuja and the Sequoia prefer moist habitats in coastal areas. Chamaecyparis and Taiwania come against it before in high-altitude monsoon forests. Some species of juniper, however, manage with low rainfall conditions. Cupressus dupreziana occurs in the central Sahara of Algeria even in the Tassili n'Ajjer massif. They are there along with a sparse Saharan myrtle trees, 300km from the nearest tree resources. Depending on the source, there are only 153-213 individuals on this single site. The few specimens are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Tassili n'Ajjer and critically endangered.
System
In the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ), there are seven sub-families and 29 genera with 142 species; many genera ( 17) are monotypic, ie consisting of only one type:
- Subfamily Athrotaxidoideae Quinn, with only one genus: Scales spruce ( Athrotaxis D. Don ): With three kinds.
- Actinostrobus Miq. With three kinds.
- Chile cedar ( Austrocedrus Florin & Boutelje ): It is a monotypic genus, which is found only in Chile and western Argentina.
- Jewelry cypress ( Callitris Vent. ): With 19 species in Australia and New Caledonia.
- Diselma Hook. f, monotypic, is found only in western Tasmania.
- Patagonian cypress or Alerce ( Fitzroya Hook f ex Lindl.. ): It is a monotypic genus, which is found only in southern Chile and Northern Patagonia.
- Libocedrus Endl. With five species.
- Neocallitropsis Florin: It is a monotypic genus, it only occurs in New Caledonia.
- Papuacedrus H.L. Li: It is a monotypic genus of New Guinea and the Moluccas.
- Chilean Incense Cedar ( Pilgerodendron Florin ): It is a monotypic genus of Argentina and Chile.
- Widdringtonia Endl. Using four types.
- Fir ( Cunninghamia R. Br ): With one to two types
- Incense cedar ( Calocedrus Short): With four types.
- False cypress (Chamaecyparis Spach ): With five species.
- Cypress (Cupressus L.): With twelve to 24 species.
- Fujian cypress ( Fokienia A. Henry & HH Thomas ): It is a monotypic genus from China ( Fukien ).
- Juniper (Juniperus L.): With about 50 to 67 species.
- Siberian dwarf arborvitae or juniper subjects ( Microbiota Kom ): It is a monotypic genus of eastern Siberia.
- Oriental arborvitae ( Platycladus Spach ): It is a monotypic genus from China and Korea.
- Sandarakbaum or Gliederzypresse ( Tetraclinis mast. ): It is a monotypic genus, which occurs in north-west Africa, Libya, Malta and Spain ( Cartagena).
- Living trees (Thuja L.): With five species.
- Hiba arborvitae ( Siebold & Zucc Thujopsis ex Endl. . ): It is a monotypic genus from Japan.
- Xanthocyparis Farjon & T. H. Nguyên: With two kinds.
- Coast redwood (Sequoia Endl. ) It is a monotypic genus, with the only kind in North America.
- Giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron J. Buchholz) It is a monotypic genus, with the only kind in California.
- Dawn redwood ( Metasequoia Hu & WC Cheng ): It is a monotypic genus, with the only kind in China.
- Taiwanie ( Taiwania Hayata cryptomerioides ): A monotypic genus, which occurs in Taiwan, China, Vietnam and Myanmar.
- Fir or Sugi (Cryptomeria D. Don ): It is a monotypic genus from Japan and China.
- China water cypress or spruce ( Glyptostrobus Endl. ): It is a monotypic genus from China and Vietnam.
- Bald cypress (Taxodium Rich. ): With two ways.