Mediterranean cypress
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Mediterranean cypress ( Cupressus sempervirens var. Stricta ) |
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The Mediterranean cypress ( Cupressus sempervirens ), also columns cypress , Real Cypress , Italian Cypress or mourning cypress called, is a plant species within the family of the cypress family (Cupressaceae).
description
Habitus
The Mediterranean cypress is an evergreen tree . Like other cypress species, the Mediterranean cypress shows amazing growth in height under favorable conditions and can reach 4 to 6 meters in 10 years. Fully grown specimens reach heights of growth of 20 to 35 meters and diameters of chest height of 70 to 100 centimeters. Cypresses grow in visually very different growth forms. The variety Cupressus sempervirens var. Horizontalis has a crown with numerous branches protruding horizontally, while in the var. Stricta the branches are close and give it a columnar appearance. The growth forms of the real cypress, which often stand side by side, are mostly thought of as different species by botanical laypeople. The crown of the Mediterranean cypress is dark green in color and only appears to be patterned when the young shoots and the male flowers appear. The trunk is intensely branched. The branches are square in cross-section and have a bluish bark . The bark of the old trees is fibrous and thin. It is dark gray in color and has fine longitudinal structures.
Foliage
The small, dark gray, scale-shaped leaves are opposite to each other on the branches. The branches are completely covered by the roof-tile-like leaves. The leaf bases can be fused with the branches. They have relatively large resin channels. There are numerous stomata on the top of the leaf. The few stomata that are located on the underside of the leaf are located at the base of the leaf. After 2 years on the tree, the leaves dry up and fall off in the third year. The seedlings usually have two cotyledons ( cotyledons ).
Flowers, cones and seeds
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The Mediterranean cypress is single-sexed ( monoecious ) and wind-flowered ( anemophilia ). It becomes manable at around 5 years of age and only develops male cones in the first few years. Depending on the region, the flowering period extends from January to the end of February. The yellow to yellow-brown colored male cones are 3 to 5 millimeters long and about 2 millimeters wide. They are in large numbers at the ends of short shoots in the lower crown area. The spherical, greenish colored female cones are about 2.5 millimeters in size and consist of 4 to 7 seed scales. Each seed scale has 6 to 20 ovules. They are mainly found in the upper crown area. The pollinated cones are around 1 centimeter tall and green in color in June. They turn pale yellow by November. The seeds ripen in the summer or late autumn of the 2nd year, depending on the region. When the seeds ripen, the cones are silvery-gray. The elliptical seeds are 5 to 6 millimeters long and 3 to 4 millimeters wide. They have a relatively hard, reddish-brown skin. The thousand grain weight is between 6 and 8 grams.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
Wood
The wood of the Mediterranean cypress, which has a pleasant smell and is easy to work, has a fine structure. Cypress wood with a uniform grain structure is easy to work with, whereas wood with a spiral grain structure tears easily. It has no resin channels. The initially light yellow, later yellowish brown heartwood contrasts with the lighter yellowish white sapwood . The annual rings are easy to see. The bulk density with a wood moisture content of 12% is 0.7 g / cm³ and is therefore relatively heavy. It is very durable and by nature largely resistant to wood-destroying fungi, insects and bivalve molluscs. Because of its stability and durability, even when it comes into contact with the ground, cypress wood is mainly used as construction timber for exterior constructions.
Distribution and location
The original distribution area included the eastern Mediterranean. It extends over Greece , the Aegean Islands , Crete , Cyprus , Syria , Israel , Cilicia and Lebanon to southwest Iran . The species was introduced to Italy in ancient times and later to France and Spain. It is considered to be the dominant tree of Tuscany and other Mediterranean areas. It was naturalized on the Ionian islands of Kefalonia , Zakynthos , Lefkada and Corfu .
The Mediterranean cypress is considered a pre-forest and pioneer tree. It is very adaptable and drought resistant. It grows on limestone, marl and clay soils as well as on dry and poor locations. Soils with a pH of 5.8 to 8.2 are populated. Floors with clay that are not too moist are considered optimal. It hibernates and is therefore only partially frost hardy. Depending on the condition of the tree, it can withstand temperatures of down to −20 ° C. Depending on the region, they can be found at heights of up to 1,600 m. ü. NN. Both pure and mixed stands are formed with the black pine ( Pinus nigra ), with Pinus brutia , the stinking juniper ( Juniperus foetidissima ) and the Lebanon cedar ( Cedrus libani ).
Systematics
Today it is assumed that the Mediterranean area may have been populated by only one cypress species in the past, from which the Mediterranean cypress, the Sahara cypress ( Cupressus dupreziana ) and the Cupressus atlantica , described by Gaussen as an independent species , which some authors consider a variety the Mediterranean cypress is seen developed. The Mediterranean cypress exhibits great intraspecific variation. She bred varieties that are resistant to the cypress cancer pathogen .
Varieties
The Mediterranean cypress is divided into the following varieties :
- Cupressus sempervirens var. Atlantica (Gaussen) Silba occurs in the central part of the Moroccan Atlas Mountains . It was described by Henri Marcel Gaussen as an independent kind of Atlas cypress ( Cupressus atlantica Gaussen ).
- Cupressus sempervirens var. Horizontalis (Mill.) G.Don has horizontally protruding branches.
- Cupressus sempervirens f. numidica Trabut is a relic form that occurs in a natural forest near Maktar in Tunisia .
- Cupressus sempervirens var. Stricta Aiton ( Syn. Cupressus sempervirens var. Pyramidalis Nyman , Cupressus sempervirens var. Fastigiata ): It grows columnar and occurs only in artificially created stands in Tuscany and Provence .
Diseases and pests
Seiridium cardinale , the causative agent of cypress cancer, is considered a particularly dangerous harmful fungus . It penetrates through injuries to the tree and leads to failures that amount to up to 50% of the population in some parts of the Mediterranean region. Other harmful fungi include Phomopsis occulta , Diplodia pinea , Kabatina thujae and the common Hallimasch ( Armillaria mellea ). The tree louse Cinara cupressi , which is able to defoliate entire crowns, has proven to be a dangerous insect pest . In terms of other insect pests, species from the families of the bark beetle , the jewel beetle and the longhorn beetle are mentioned.
The Mediterranean cypress is a drought type, but is sensitive to extreme winter cold and late frosts. Frosts can cause losses and cracks in the trunk. It is considered tolerant of air pollution.
use
The wood of the Mediterranean cypress was already valued in ancient times for its durability. Among other things, ships, statues of gods, temple doors and sarcophagi were made from it. For centuries it was an important raw material for the development of civilization. However, since the natural population was quite small, the species began to be cultivated early on. Because of its beautiful growth, it is planted as an ornamental wood in gardens and parks. It is the characteristic avenue tree of the Mediterranean landscapes, especially Tuscany. Even the Romans planted the species as a windbreak.
symbolism
The evergreen appearance and its long life made the column cypress in the Mediterranean area a symbol of mourning, hope, devotion and eternity and is therefore often planted in churches, chapels and cemeteries. It appears in this symbolism occasionally in art, for example on the five versions of the painting Die Toteninsel by Arnold Böcklin . The symbolism of mourning is only related to the columnar growth form that strives towards the sky.
In classical Persian literature the "free cypress" (sarv-e āzād) is a symbol for tall people, especially for the king and the lover. Beautiful people are often referred to as “walking cypress” (sarv-e kharamān) .
Common names
For the Mediterranean cypress, the other German-language trivial names exist or existed : Ciperbom ( Middle Low German ), Cipirboum ( Middle High German ), Cippressebaum (Middle High German), Cipres, Cypres, Cypresse (Middle High German, Middle Low German), Cypressenapfel (Middle High German), Cypressenbaum) (Middle High German) , Cypressienbom (Middle High German), Cypressienholz (Middle High German), Zipres, Zypres and Zipperbom (Middle Low German).
swell
literature
- Paolo Raddi, Alberto Panconesi: Cupressus sempervirens . In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd Stimm, Andreas Roloff: Lexicon of Conifers. Distribution - Description - Ecology - Use; the great encyclopedia . Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5 , p. 175-186 .
- Rudolf Wittmann: The world of trees . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-8001-4245-7 .
Web links
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- Cupressus sempervirens in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.
- Christopher J. Earle: Cupressus sempervirens. In: The Gymnosperm Database. February 27, 2011, accessed October 27, 2011 .
Single receipts
- ^ Tropicos
- ↑ Andrew Duncan, Gwen Rigby: The Hobby Carpenters - Technique of Wood Processing , German edition in cooperation with the master school Ebern for the carpenter's trade, Orbis Verlag, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-572-00763-1 , p. 194
- ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 121 ( online ).