Chamaecyparis pisifera听(Sawara cypress听or听Sawara听:听銈点儻銉�,听:听Sawara) is a species of听, native to central and southern听, on the islands of听听补苍诲听.
Description
It is a slow-growing听听听growing to 35鈥�50 m tall with a trunk up to 2 m in diameter. The听听is red-brown, vertically fissured and with a stringy texture. The foliage is arranged in flat sprays; adult听听are scale-like, 1.5鈥�2听mm long, with pointed tips (unlike the blunt tips of the leaves of the related听听(hinoki cypress), green above, green below with a white听听band at the base of each scale-leaf; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs on the shoots. The juvenile leaves, found on young seedlings, are needle-like, 4鈥�8听mm long, soft and glaucous bluish-green. The听听are globose, 4鈥�8听mm diameter, with 6鈥�10 scales arranged in opposite pairs, maturing in autumn about 7鈥�8 months after pollination.
Related species
A related cypress found on听,听听(Formosan cypress), differs in longer ovoid cones 6鈥�10听mm long with 10鈥�16 scales.听The extinct听听species听, known from fossils found on听听in Canada, is noted to be very similar to听C. pisifera.
Name
The Latin听听pisifera, 鈥減ea-bearing鈥�, 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听,听, shrines and baths, and making听, though less valued than the timber of听C. obtusa. The wood is lemon-scented and light-colored with a rich, straight grain, and is rot resistant.
Ornamental
It is also a popular ornamental tree in听听补苍诲听, both in Japan and elsewhere in听听climates including western听听and parts of听. A large number of听听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'.
In cultivation in the听听the following have gained the听鈥檚听听(confirmed 2017):
- 鈥楤辞耻濒别惫补谤诲鈥�:听8听m (26听ft), blue-green foliage
- 鈥楩ilifera Aurea鈥�:听rounded, needle-like golden foliage, to 12听m (39听ft)
- 鈥楶lumosa Compressa鈥�:听dwarf to 90听cm (35听in), soft mossy foliage on young plants
- 鈥楽耻苍驳辞濒诲鈥�: rounded shrub to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall and wide, with needle-like lime green foliage
