Cupressus dupreziana A. Camus var. dupreziana

Tree: evergreen; erect; 20 m maximum height; monoecious. Trunk: 3 m maximum diameter. Bark: grey, red, or brown; furrowed. Crown: dense; columnar to narrowly or widely conical (pyramidal). Branches: horizontal, or drooping. Ultimate branchlets: 0.7–1.5 mm wide; 4–11 mm long; arranged in one plane; flattened in cross-section; without white or glaucous marking.

 

Leaves: only adult leaves on adult plants; scaly. Scale leaves: 1–2 mm long; 0.7–1 mm wide; arranged oppositely; bright – dark green, or green with coating (somewhat bluish); apically spreading, or closely appressed; only one type of leaves (no differentiation in lateral and facial leaves = monomorphic), or two types of leaves (differentiation in lateral and facial leaves = dimorphic); tip blunt; with, or without white resin; with conspicuous glands;; dorsal side rounded; tip curved outwards. Lateral leaves: 1–2.5 mm long; facial and lateral leaves more or less equal in length; not visibly adjoined (facial leaves are overlapping). Facial leaves: 1–2 mm long.

 

Male cones: 3–7 mm long; 2.5–3.5 mm wide; solitary; 18–24 male cone scales; 9–12 male cone scale whorls; oblong; yellow or bright brown. Male cone scales: arranged oppositely; 2–6 pollen sacs per male cone scale.

 

Female cones: 12–24 mm long; 10–24 mm wide; 10–12 cone scales; depressed-globose, 2-lobed, globose, or ovoid; cone-like (open after maturity); woody; not disintegrating after maturity; dark; young cones greenish, or reddish. 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: 4–6 mm long; 3–6 mm wide; 40–120 seeds per cone; red, or bright – middle brown; 6–20 seeds per female cone scale; flattened; tubercled, or not tubercled; without conspicuous hilum. Seed wings: 1–2 mm wide; 2 (almost) equal wings.

 

Supplement: maturity in the second year; 2 cotyledones; 22 chromosomes (2n). Cultivation: cultivated in Germany; cultivated outdoor in the Ruhr Area (hardiness zone 7); Distribution: Africa: Algeria. IUCN Red List: endangered. Synonyms: Cupressus lereddei Gaussen, Cupressus sempervirens L. var. dupreziana (A. Camus) Silba [1981]. Common names: Duprez Cypress (ENG), Saharan Cypress (ENG), Tamrit Cypress (ENG), Tamrit-Zypresse (GER), Tarout (ENG).