Cupressus corneyana Knight

Cupressus torulosa is an evergreen tree 15-25(45) m tall, with a dbh of 40-60(90) cm. Crown large oval to broadly conical. Bark thick, grey brown or brown, peeling off in longitudinal strips. Branches slender, drooping, with thin, whip-like tips. Branchlets cylindrical, nearly quadrangular, branching in whorls, shoots in a single plane. Leaves scale-like, closely appressed, obtuse, dark green, often with a small dorsal furrow. Male cone subglobular, 5-6mm long. Female cones globose or elliptic, grouped on very short stalks, 10-20 mm across, green or purple when young, later turning dark brown, composed of 6-8(10) scales, with a small central depression and a small, triangular, reflexed mucro. Seeds 6-8 to each scale, red-brown. C. torulosa var. cashmeriana, the Kashmir cypress, is found in Tibet. It is a smaller tree of conical habit and flattened shoots. Leaves blue-green, outspread. Cones globose, 12 mm across, initially pale green and bluish pruinose, later dark brown, composed of 10 scales depressed at the centre, with a pointed, triangular and reflexed process, about 10 seeds to each scale. The Latin name ‘Cupresssus’ comes from the Greek ‘kuparissos’, which commemorates a youth of that name who was turned into a cypress tree by Apollo. The specific epithet means cylindrical with bulges or contractions at intervals.

Cones appear in February-March, seed matures in May-June.

The tree prefers freely draining, fertile soils but is adaptable to most conditions including calcareous soils.

C. torulosa is a shade intolerant species, thriving in tropical and subtropical rainforests, where it prefers calcareous substrates. It occurs naturally as a dominant in mixed stands with Markhamia stipulata and Burretiodendron hsienmu, sometimes forming pure stands on mountain slopes and summits. The tree is resistant to frost.

A. torulosa was introduced to Kenya around 1900 and specimens can be found at the Nairobi Arboretum.

Propagation is by potted or bare-rooted plants. There is 40-60 % germination in 14-28 days and seedlings reach plantable size in 12-24 months.

It is rather slow growing, with limited natural regeneration.

The tree is less susceptible to Monochaetia unicornis than other cypress.

Seed storage is orthodox with viability maintained for up to 18 months in open storage and 3 years in hermitic storage. There are 160 000-280 000 seeds/kg. Seeds should be stratified in damp sand before planting.

Shade or shelter: The tree is planted as a windbreak. Nitrogen fixing: It forms associations with mycorrhiza. Ornamental: It is planted as an ornamental in Yugoslavia and elsewhere in the West.

Fuel: The tree is used as fuelwood. Timber: Wood is pale yellow with pale brown heartwood, hard and durable with a specific gravity of 0.48-0.52. It is a prime timber with straight grain and fine texture, resistant to termites and insects. Used for cabinetwork, office furniture, fine art articles, construction, fence posts, poles and railway carriage making. Essential oil: The wood is aromatic, especially the root-wood, and an essential oil extracted from these parts is used in cosmetics. Medicine: The essential oil is used in medicine to cure inflammatory wounds, or as an antiseptic.