Chamaecyparis pisifera (Sawara cypress or Sawara ) is a species of cypress in the genus Chamaecyparis, native to central and southern Japan, on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū.

Name

The Latin specific epithet pisifera, "pea-bearing", refers to the small round green cones.

Uses

Timber

It is grown for its timber in Japan, where it is used as a material for building palaces, temples, shrines and baths, and making coffins, though less valued than the timber of C. obtusa. The wood is lemon-scented and light-coloured with a rich, straight grain, and is rot resistant.

Ornamental

It is also a popular ornamental tree in parks and gardens, both in Japan and elsewhere in temperate climates including western and central Europe and parts of North America. A large number of cultivars have been selected for garden planting, including dwarf forms, forms with yellow or blue-green leaves, and forms retaining the juvenile needle-like foliage; particularly popular juvenile foliage cultivars include 'Plumosa', 'Squarrosa' and 'Boulevard'. (confirmed 2017):

  • 'Boulevard': , blue-green foliage
  • 'Filifera Aurea': rounded, needle-like golden foliage, to
  • 'Plumosa Compressa': dwarf to , soft mossy foliage on young plants
  • 'Sungold': rounded shrub to tall and wide, with needle-like lime green foliage

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Image:Grove of Sawara Cypress, Upton State Forest, MA.jpeg|Grove of 80-year-old trees

Image:Sawara Falsecypress Chamaecyparis pisifera Sprig 3008px.jpg|Foliage and cones

Image:Sawara Falsecypress Chamaecyparis pisifera Tree 2000px.jpg|Central trunk of a tree

Image:Sawara Falsecypress Chamaecyparis pisifera Bark 2000px.jpg|Bark

Image:Tree lined path to the Togakushi shrine1.jpg|Path in the Togakushi Shrine lined with C. pisifera

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Image:Chamaecyparis Pisifera bonsai.JPG|Bonsai example

Image:Boulevard cypress.jpg|Foliage of the juvenile cultivar 'Boulevard', with soft feathery needle-like leaves

Image:Chamaecyparis pisifera golden charm sawara cypress MN 2007.JPG|Cultivar 'Golden Charm'

File:Filifera aurea.jpg|Cultivar 'Filifera aurea'

File:Felifera Aurea leaves 201601 JAPAN.jpg|Leaves of the Filifera aurea

File:2019-04-30 16 25 42 New spring needles on a Sungold Threadleaf Falsecyrpress along Tranquility Court in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg|Cultivar 'Sungold'

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References

  • Conifers Around the World: Chamaecyparis pisifera - sawara cypress.