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Synonyms: Actinostrobaceae Lotsy; Juniperaceae Bercht. & J. Presl; Microbiotaceae Nakai; Tetraclinaceae Hayata
Common name: Cupress Family.
Number of genera 18. Number of species 113.
Gymnosperm.
Disseminule a cone, or a seed.
Cones
Cone dry, or fleshy (Juniperus); when dry a galbulus (Cupressus Spjut Fig. 9C-D, 7; 3 families: Cupressaceae (not for Juniperus), Gnetaceae, Taxodiaceae); globose, or ovoid (-oblong); with scales; scales with fused subtending bracts, or scales with separate subtending bracts (rarely); an arcesthida when fleshy (Juniperus). Fruiting scales present; dry (Cupressus), or fleshy (Juniperus and drupelike); persisting (Cupressus), or disintegrating (Actinostrobus); coriaceous, or woody.
Seeds
Aril absent. Seed larger than minute; in transection compressed; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with depressed features, or discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface pitted; surface granular; surface glandular blisters, or rugose, or striate, or wrinkled; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous; with wing(s), or without wings (rarely); 2-winged, or 1-winged; with wing encompassing seed, or wing on one side, or wings on both sides; with wings equally developed, or wings unequally developed; with wing(s) solid; with solid wing(s) similar to testa (assumed); without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades); thin, or membranous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Endosperm copious to scant; fleshy; opaque; smooth; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve); at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear (somewhat); straight; parallel to seed length; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2, or 7 (rarely); well developed; 0.4–0.8 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1–1.5 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; moderately thick; flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan (mostly cool to warm temperate climate). New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin -- Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray bis) Parl. -- Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach = Xanthocyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Farjon et al. -- Cupressus arizonica Greene -- Juniperus communis L. -- Juniperus deppeana Steud. -- Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg. -- Juniperus occidentalis Hook. -- Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little -- Juniperus scopulorum Sarg. -- Libocedrus decurrens Torr. = Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin -- Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco -- Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. -- Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Buchholz -- Thuja occidentalis L. -- Thuja orientalis L. = Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco -- Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don -- Xanthocyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Farjon et al. -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florint -- Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray) Parl.t -- Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spacht-- Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl.t-- Chamaecyparis pisifera (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl.t -- Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton et al.t -- Cupressus arizonica Greenet -- Cupressus lusitanica Mill. -- Cupressus macrocarpa Hartw. ex Gordont -- Cupressus sempervirens L.t -- Cupressus torulosa D. Don -- Fitzroya cupressoides (Molina) I. M. Johnst. -- Juniperus communis L.t -- Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. -- Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.t -- Juniperus virginiana L.t -- Libocedrus decurrens Torr. = Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin -- Platycladus orientalis (L.) Francot-- Thuja occidentalis L.t -- Thuja orientalis L. = Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco-- Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Dont-- Xanthocyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Farjon & D. K. Harder = Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach-- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Actinostrobus Miq. -- Callitris Vent. -- Calocedrus Kurz -- Chamaecyparis Spach -- Cupressus L. -- Diselma Hook. f. -- Fitz-roya Hook. f. ex Lindl., nom. cons. prop. -- Fokienia A. Henry & H. H. Thomas -- Juniperus L. -- Libocedrus Endl. -- Microbiota Kom. -- Neocallitropsis Florin -- Pilgerodendron Florin -- Platycladus Spach -- Tetraclinis Mast. -- Thuja L. -- Thujopsis Siebold & Zucc. ex Endl., nom. cons. -- Widdringtonia Endl. -- Xanthocyparis Farjon et al.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 0 (not present).
General references
Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, Page, C.N. 1990. Coniferophytina (Conifers and Ginkgoids). In: Kubitzki, K., ed., The families and genera of vascular plants, pp. 282–361. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, LeMaout, E. and J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Schopmeyer, C.S. 1974. Seeds of Woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450:1–883, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor to acceptable arcesthida & galbulus & S illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): "cone", or seed, or embryo. Illustrated "cone": arcesthida, or galbulus. "Cone" illustration(s): Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne, Engler & Prantl, Page (in Kramer & Green). Seed illustration(s): Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne. Embryo illustration(s): Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne.
• Seed. 1 of 10. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray bis) Parl.: seed. • Seed. 2 of 10. Cupressus sempervirens var. dupreziana (A. Camus) Silba: seed. • Cone. 3 of 10. Juniperus squamata Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don: cone. • Seed. 4 of 10. Juniperus squamata Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don: seed. • Seed. 5 of 10. Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco: seeds. • Embryo. 6 of 10. Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco: embryo. • Embryo. 7 of 10. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray bis) Parl.: embryo. • Embryo. 8 of 10. Cupressus arizonica Greene: embryo. • Embryo. 9 of 10. Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.: embryo. • Embryo. 10 of 10. Thuja occidentalis L.: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
