Cupressus duclouxiana Hickel

Tree: evergreen; erect; 60 m maximum height; monoecious. Trunk: 0.8 m maximum diameter. Bark: red, or brown; peeling off in strands, or furrowed. Crown: dense; columnar to narrowly or widely conical (pyramidal). Branches: horizontal, or drooping. Ultimate branchlets: 0.5–1 mm wide; 10–15 mm long; arranged 3-dimensionally; quadrangular in cross-section.

 

Leaves: only adult leaves on adult plants; scaly. Scale leaves: 1–2.5 mm long; 0.5–0.75 mm wide; arranged oppositely; bright green, or green with coating (somewhat bluish); closely appressed; only one type of leaves (no differentiation in lateral and facial leaves = monomorphic); tip blunt, or acute; with conspicuous, inconspicuous, or without glands; without white resin; dorsal side rounded; tip curved outwards.

 

Male cones: 4–7 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; solitary; 12–20 male cone scales; 6–10 male cone scale whorls; globose, ovoid, or oblong; yellow or bright brown. Male cone scales: arranged oppositely; 2–6 pollen sacs per male cone scale.

 

Female cones: 12–30 mm long; 15–32 mm wide; 6–10 cone scales; depressed-globose, 2-lobed, or globose; cone-like (open after maturity); woody; not disintegrating after maturity; bluish, reddish, or dark; young cones green with bluish coating. Female cone scales: arranged oppositely; inserted on different levels in mature cones; without several small additional cone scales on the female cone; tip blunt; with small dorsal umbo; umbo more or less in the centre. Columella: absent.

 

Seeds: 3–5 mm long; 1–3 mm wide; 60–280 seeds per cone; red, bright – dark brown, or black; 10–28 seeds per female cone scale; flattened; tubercled; with conspicuous hilum. Seed wings: 0.3–1 mm wide; 2 (almost) equal wings.

 

Supplement: maturity in the second year; 2 cotyledones; 22 chromosomes (2n). Cultivation: cultivated in Germany; cultivated in greenhouse in the Ruhr Area (hardiness zone 7); Distribution: Asia: China. IUCN Red List: rare. Common names: Ducloux Cypress (ENG), Yunnan Cypress (ENG), Chinese Cypress (ENG).