The Untimely Demise of the Lawson Cypress

Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana). Photograph courtesy of the Helen Crocker Russell Library
Some botanists have placed Chamaecyparis lawsoniana within the genus Cupressus, relegating the name Chamaecyparis to the rank of subgenus. For the horticulturist, however, its flat sprays of foliage and smaller cones (with fewer seeds per scale) are sufficient to distinguish Lawson cypress from those trees in the genus Cupressus, and we have chosen to retain the use of Chamaecyparis here.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is one of the most important conifers in ornamental horticulture. Lawson cypress or Port Orford cedar, as it is known in its native range and by foresters, is restricted in nature to a narrow strip of the Oregon-California coast and to the mountains of northern California. It was once an important timber tree for the region. Old growth stands were scattered in small groves, the trees potentially growing for 500 years and reaching a height of around 220 feet (70 meters). Its wood is light, hard, strong, and easily worked; the high quality lumber was once used extensively in shipbuilding and for the inte...