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{{Short description|Californian species of western cypress}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Cupressus pigmaea'' | image = Cupressus pygmaea, at Salt Point, Mendocino, California.jpg
| image_caption = ''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'' at Salt Point, Mendocino, California
| image = Mendocyphoodmtn.jpg
| genus = Hesperocyparis
| image_width = 240px
| status = VU | species = pygmaea
| authority = (]) Bartel
| status_system = iucn2.3
| range_map = Cupressus pygmaea range map 4.png
| regnum = ]ae
| range_map_caption = Natural range of ''Cupressus pygmaea''
| divisio = ]
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=60451561-2 |title=''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'' (Lemmon) Bartel |access-date=2 March 2024}}</ref>
| classis = ]
| synonyms = {{Collapsible list |
| ordo = ]
{{Species list
| familia = ]
| Callitropsis pygmaea | (Lemmon) D.P.Little (2006)
| genus = '']''
| Cupressus goveniana subsp. pygmaea | (Lemmon) Bartel (1991)
| species = '''''C. pigmaea'''''
| Cupressus goveniana var. pygmaea | Lemmon (1895)
| binomial = ''Cupressus pigmaea''
| Cupressus pygmaea | (Lemmon) Sarg. (1901)
| binomial_authority = (]) ]
| Cupressus silbae | B.Huang bis (2008)
| Hesperocyparis goveniana var. pygmaea | (Lemmon) de Laub. (2012)
| Neocupressus goveniana var. pygmaea | (Lemmon) de Laub. (2009)
}}
}}
}} }}


'''''Cupressus pigmaea''''' ('''Mendocino Cypress''') is a ] of disputed status in the ] '']'' ] to certain ]al terraces and coastal mountain ranges of ] and ] in northwestern ]. It is a highly variable tree, and closely related to ''],'' enough to sometimes be considered a subspecies of it. '''''Hesperocyparis pygmaea''''', the '''Mendocino cypress''' or '''pygmy cypress''', is a ] of disputed status in the ] genus. It is ] to certain ]al terraces and coastal mountain ranges of ] and ] in northwestern ]. It is a variable tree, and closely related to '']'' and '']'', enough to sometimes be considered conspecific with them.


==Description==
==Taxonomic status==
The ] is a dull dark to light green color, with scale-like ] 1–1.5&nbsp;mm long, with the leaf tips not spreading; seedlings bear needle-like leaves 8–10&nbsp;mm long. The ] are small, 11–24&nbsp;mm long, and almost spherical, with six or eight scales arranged in opposite decussate pairs, with the bract visible as no more than a small lump or short spine on the scale. The ]s are 3–5&nbsp;mm long, with a pair of small wings along the sides.<ref name="Farjon" /> The cones remain closed on the trees for many years, until the trees are killed by a forest fire; after the tree is dead, the cones open to release the seeds which can then germinate successfully on the bare fire-cleared ground.<ref name="Lanner" />


The Mendocino cypress differs little from ''H.&nbsp;goveniana'' in morphology, with the most conspicuous difference in ] material being the usually glossy black seeds, unlike the dull brown seeds of ''H.&nbsp;goveniana'', but even this character is not constant, with dull brown seeds found in the southernmost populations of ''H.&nbsp;pygmaea'' near ].<ref name="wolf" /> Preliminary genetic studies have shown some differences, with notably some ] sequences (''matK'', ''rbcL'', and ''trnL'') suggesting a possible closer relationship to '']'', though other sequences confirm its close relationship to ''H.&nbsp;goveniana''.<ref name="Little2006">{{cite journal |author=Damon P. Little |year=2006 |title=Evolution and circumscription of the true cypresses (Cupressaceae: ''Cupressus'') |journal=] |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=461–480 |jstor=25064176 |doi=10.1600/036364406778388638}}</ref> In cultivation together with ''H.&nbsp;goveniana'', it retains a very different crown shape, with a tall slender crown, contrasting with the broad, shrubby crown of ''H.&nbsp;goveniana''; it also has darker green foliage (paler, yellow-green in ''H.&nbsp;goveniana'').<ref name="wolf" />
Some authors treat ''Cupressus pigmaea'' as a distinct species following Sargent,<ref>Sargent, C. S. (1991). New or Little Known North American Trees. III. ''Botanical Gazette (Crawfordsville)'' 31 (4): 239.</ref> including Wolf (1948),<ref name="wolf">Wolf, C. B. & Wagener, W. E. (1948). The New World cypresses. ''El Aliso'' 1: 195-205.</ref> Griffin & Critchfield (1976),<ref name="griffin">Griffin, J. R., & Critchfield, W. B. (1976). ''The Distribution of Forest Trees in California''. USDA Forest Service Research Paper PSW-82.</ref> and Lanner (1999),<ref name="lanner">Lanner, R. M. (1999). ''Conifers of California''. Cachuma Press, Los Olivos, California ISBN 0-9628505-3-5.</ref> while others treat it within '']'' as either a ] (''C. goveniana var. pigmaea'' Lemmon)<ref>Lemmon, J. G. (1895). ''West-American Cone-Bearers''. 3rd ed.</ref><ref name="gymnosperm">Earle, C. J. ]. </ref> or a ] (''C. goveniana subsp. pigmaea'' (Lemmon) A.Camus), including Camus (1914),<ref>Camus, A. (1914). Les Cyprès. ''Encyclopédie Économique de Sylviculture'' 2: 50</ref> the ''Jepson Manual'' (1993)<ref name="jepson"></ref> and Bartel (1991),<ref>Bartel, J. A. (1991). Nomenclatural changes in ''Dudleya'' (Crassulaceae) and ''Cupressus'' (Cupressaceae). ''Phytologia'' 70 (4): 229-230 {{ISSN|0031-9430}}</ref> and yet others do not distinguish it at all within ''C. goveniana'', including the ''Flora of North America''<ref>Eckenwalder, J. E. (1993) </ref> and Farjon (2005).<ref name="farjon">Farjon, A. (2005). ''A Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopityaceae''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-900347-54-7.</ref> It has also recently been transferred in one study to the genus '']'' as ''Callitropsis pigmaea'' (Lemmon) D. P. Little.<ref name="little">Little, D. P. (2006). Evolution and circumscription of the true Cypresses. ''Systematic Botany'' 31 (3): 461-480. {{ISSN|1548-2324}}</ref> Bartel, Farjon and most current dictionary sources recognize the name ''Cupressus pigmaea'' as the preferred taxonomic name. One of the most complex modern genetic characterizations of the Cupressaceae has been published by Little et. al in 2004, in which the designation ''Cupressus pigmaea'' is given.


The largest recorded specimen is located in Mendocino County, with recorded dimensions of 43&nbsp;m height, 2.13&nbsp;m diameter, and 12&nbsp;m crown spread, in 2000.<ref name="Gymnosperm DB">{{cite web |editor1-last=Earle |editor1-first=Christopher J. |title=''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'' (Mendocino cypress) description |url=https://www.conifers.org/cu/Hesperocyparis_pygmaea.php |website=The Gymnosperm Database |access-date=4 March 2024 |language=en |date=2023}}</ref>
The scientific name is sometimes spelled ''pygmaea'', though this is an orthographic error.<ref name=farjon/>


==Morphology== ==Taxonomy==
''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'' was first described as a ] by ] with the name ''Cupressus goveniana'' var. ''pygmaea'' in 1895. It was described as a species by ] in 1901.<ref name="POWO" /> Sargent thought that the distinctness of the seeds from those of ''C.&nbsp;goveniana'' definitively showed it to be a species though its growth habits and form did not make it easy to identify.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sargent |first1=Charles S. |author1-link=Charles Sprague Sargent |title=New or Little Known North American Trees. III |journal=Botanical Gazette |date=1901 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=239–240 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28545470 |access-date=2 March 2024}}</ref>
It is very variable in growth form, depending on soil conditions. In the ] plant community on poor, ]ic, ]-starved ] soils with drainage impeded by an ], it is a stunted tree from 0.2–5&nbsp;meters in height at maturity. Conversely, on deep, well-drained soils it can be a large tree up to 30–50&nbsp;meters in height and 1–2.4&nbsp;m in trunk diameter. The ] is dark gray-brown, with stringy texture, and fissured on old trees.<ref name=farjon/> When occurring in its pygmy form, it is sometimes called '''Pygmy Cypress'''.


Its taxonomic status is a long standing matter of dispute between botanists. In the 20th century some treated ''Cupressus pygmaea'' as a distinct species, following Sargent, including Wolf (1948),<ref name="wolf">{{cite journal | last1 = Wolf | first1 = C. B. | last2 = Wagener | first2 = W. E. | year = 1948 | title = The New World cypresses | journal = Aliso | volume = 1 | pages = 195–205 | issue=1| doi = 10.5642/aliso.19480101.02 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Griffin & Critchfield (1976),<ref name="Distribution">{{cite report |last1=Griffin |first1=James R. |last2=Critchfield |first2=William B. |date=1976 |title=Research Paper PSW-82: The Distribution of Forest Trees in California |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/28747 |publisher=USDA Forest Service |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref> and Lanner (1999).<ref name="Lanner">{{cite book |last1=Lanner |first1=Ronald M. |title=Conifers of California |date=1999 |publisher=Cachuma Press |location=Los Olives, California |isbn=0-9628505-3-5 |pages=176–177 |edition=2. print |url=https://archive.org/details/conifersofcalifo0000lann/page/176 |language=en}}</ref> Others treated it within '']'' as either a ] (''C. goveniana'' var. ''pigmaea'' Lemmon)<ref>Lemmon, J. G. (1895). ''West-American Cone-Bearers''. 3rd ed.</ref> or a ] (''C. goveniana'' subsp. ''pygmaea'' (Lemmon) A.Camus), including Camus (1914),<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Camus | first1 = A | year = 1914 | title = Les Cyprès | journal = Encyclopédie Économique de Sylviculture | volume = 2 | page = 50 }}</ref> and the ''Jepson Manual'' (1993),<ref name="jepson">{{Jepson Manual |id=157,160,167,169 |taxon=Cupressus pigmaea subsp. pygmaea |first=Jim A. |last=Bartel}}</ref> and one publication, the '']'', did not distinguish it at all within ''C.&nbsp;goveniana''.<ref>{{eFloras|1|200005418|Cupressus goveniana |first=James E. |last=Eckenwalder |volume=2}}</ref>
The ] is a dull dark to light green color, with scale-like ] 1-1.5&nbsp;mm long, with the leaf tips not spreading; seedlings bear needle-like leaves 8-10&nbsp;mm long. The ] are small, 11-24&nbsp;mm long, and almost spherical, with six or eight scales arranged in opposite decussate pairs, with the bract visible as no more than a small lump or short spine on the scale. The ]s are 3-5&nbsp;mm long, with a pair of small wings along the sides.<ref name=farjon/> The cones remain closed on the trees for many years, until the trees are killed by a forest fire; after the tree is dead, the cones open to release the seeds which can then germinate successfully on the bare fire-cleared ground.<ref name=lanner/>


The spelling of the scientific name has also been confused. Lemmon's ] at varietal rank used the spelling ''pigm a'', a typographic error hand corrected to ''pigmaea'', in the main description ({{BHL page|23343470|77}}) but ''pygmaea'' in the contents ({{BHL page|23343396|xiv}}). In raising the taxon to species rank, Sargent changed the spelling to ''pygmaea'' ({{BHL page|28545470|239}}), a legitimate change as a botanical name has no priority outside of the rank at which it is published (] Art. 11.2); this has been followed by most subsequent authors (including Camus in the first allocation to subspecific rank ), though a few subsequent authors have incorrectly used the spelling ''pigmaea'' at ranks other than varietal (e.g. Farjon 2005,<ref name="Farjon" /> Little 2006<ref name="Little2006" />).
It barely differs from ''C. goveniana'' in morphology, with the most conspicuous difference in ] material being the usually glossy black seeds, unlike the dull brown seeds of ''C. goveniana'', but even this character is not constant, with dull brown seeds found in the southernmos populations of ''C. pigmaea'' near ].<ref name=wolf/> Preliminary genetic studies have shown some differences, with notably some ] sequences (''matK'', ''rbcL'', and ''trnL'') suggesting a possible closer relationship to '']'', though other sequences confirm its close relationship to ''C. goveniana''.<ref name=little/> In cultivation together with ''C. goveniana'', it retains a very different crown shape, with a tall slender crown, contrasting with the broad, shrubby crown of ''C. goveniana''; it also has darker green foliage (paler, yellow-green in ''C. goveniana'').<ref name=wolf/>


Disputes continued into the 2000s with Farjon agreeing that it should be part of ''C.&nbsp;goveniana'' in 2005.<ref name="Farjon">{{cite book |last1=Farjon |first1=Aljos |title=A monograph of cupressaceae and sciadopitys |date=2005 |publisher=Royal botanic gardens |location=Kew, England |isbn=1-84246-068-4 |pages=205, 272 |language=en}}</ref> Additionally moving the new world cypress species to different genera was proposed three different times. In 2006 Damon P. Little proposed moving them to '']'', but did not find wide acceptance.<ref name="Little2006" /><ref name="POWO" /> In 2009 two different classifications were proposed, '']'' and ''Neocupressus''.<ref name="POWO" />
The largest recorded specimen is located in Mendocino County, with recorded dimensions of 43&nbsp;m height, 2.13&nbsp;m diameter, and 12&nbsp;m crown spread, in 2000.<ref name=gymnosperm/>


{{As of|2024}} ''Hesperocyparis pygmaea'' is listed as the correct name in ],<ref name="POWO" /> ],<ref>{{Cite WFO |title=''Hesperocyparis pigmaea'' (Lemmon) Bartel |id=0000912977 |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref> and the Gymnosperm Database.<ref name="Gymnosperm DB" />
==Distribution==
] dominated by Mendocino Cypress on the northwest slope of ]. Lighter ] in the foreground is the ] while in upper right is a ], of canopy height about 35 m (120 feet).]]
Mendocino Cypress occurs in very limited ranges within only ] and ], on some of the historical lands of the ] Native American people. In Mendocino County the occurrence is in a discontinuous ]al terrace strip, primarily as a pygmy forest associated with ] (''Pinus muricata'') and ] (''P. contorta var. bolanderi''). Occurences are typically below 500&nbsp;m in elevation.<ref name=jepson/> The Mendocino County official ]s survey states that "While not formally recognized as a major forest cover type, the coastal portion of the survey area also includes Bishop Pine and Mendocino Cypress (pygmy) forest types."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra02/wmendo/woodland.html |title= Woodland Management and Productivity |accessdate=2006-11-23 |year= 1993|work= Soil Survey of Mendocino County, California, Western Part|publisher= National Cooperative Soil Survey}}</ref>


==Distribution and habitat==
There are sizeable pygmy forest areas on the northwest facing slopes and more level inner ]s of ],<ref>Hogan, C. M. (2005). ''Ecology of the southern Mayacmas Range''. Lumina Technologies, Santa Rosa, California.</ref> with the predominant species being Mendocino Cypress associated with several '']'' species and ] (''Baccharis pilularis''). The usual height of pygmy forest is 3-5&nbsp;meters and these patches of relatively dense ]s extend for one to two kilometers in patch size. In the period approximating ten million years ago, ''C. pigmaea'' may have dominated the recently uplifted ], when the climate was moister.
The Mendocino cypress is highly variable in growth form, depending on soil conditions. In the ] plant community on poor, ]ic, ]-starved ] soils with drainage impeded by an ], it is a stunted tree from 0.2–5&nbsp;meters in height at maturity. When occurring in its pygmy form, it is sometimes called '''pygmy cypress'''. When growing on deep, well-drained soils it can be a large tree up to 30–50&nbsp;meters in height and 1–2.4&nbsp;m in trunk diameter. The ] is dark gray-brown, with stringy texture, and fissured on old trees.<ref name="Farjon" />


Mendocino cypress occurs in very limited ranges within only ], on some of the historical lands of the ] Native American people. In Mendocino County the occurrence is in a discontinuous ]al terrace strip, primarily as a pygmy forest associated with ] (''Pinus muricata'') and ] (''P. contorta var. bolanderi''). Occurrences are typically below 500&nbsp;m in elevation.<ref name=jepson/> The Mendocino County official ]s survey states that "While not formally recognized as a major forest cover type, the coastal portion of the survey area also includes bishop pine and Mendocino cypress (pygmy) forest types".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra02/wmendo/woodland.html|title= Woodland Management and Productivity|accessdate= 2006-11-23|year= 1993|work= Soil Survey of Mendocino County, California, Western Part|publisher= National Cooperative Soil Survey|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060923083427/http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra02/wmendo/woodland.html|archive-date= 2006-09-23}}</ref>
It is separated from the ''C. goveniana'' of ] by a gap of about 250&nbsp;km, and from the also closely related '']'' by a approximately 200&nbsp;km.<ref name=griffin/>


==Productivity== ==Productivity==
Along the Mendocino coastal terraces, whose geological age is approximately one million years, studies have been conducted of the biomass density and ] of the ''Cupressus pigmaea''-dominated pygmy forest.<ref>Westman, W. E. & Whittaker, R. H. (1975). The Pygmy Forest Region of Northern California: Studies on Biomass and Primary Productivity. ''Journal of Ecology'' 63 (2): 493-520. {{ISSN|0022-0477}}.</ref> The terraces in this area extend a full five to ten kilometers inland from the ]. Along the Mendocino coastal terraces, whose geological age is approximately one million years, studies have been conducted of the biomass density and ] of the ''Hesperocyparis pygmaea''-dominated pygmy forest.<ref>Westman, W. E. & Whittaker, R. H. (1975). The Pygmy Forest Region of Northern California: Studies on Biomass and Primary Productivity. ''Journal of Ecology'' 63 (2): 493-520. {{ISSN|0022-0477}}.</ref> The terraces in this area extend a full five to ten kilometers inland from the ].

In the Mendocino cypress pygmy forests, ] was measured to range between 1.6 and 4.4&nbsp;kilograms per square meter aboveground; moreover, net primary productivity was found to measure 180 to 360&nbsp;grams per square meter per annum above the ground surface. Mean below-ground values are 3.5&nbsp;kilograms biomass per square meter, productivity being 402&nbsp;grams per meter per annum. The ] of the pygmy forest was estimated as 2.1&nbsp;grams per square meter implying a high production efficiency per unit leaf area for an ] community (150&nbsp;grams per meter aboveground <!--what does this 150 grams number represents? an average number for evergreen forests?-->). According to Westman, productivity of the ''H.&nbsp;pygmaea'' forest lies within the range expected for open, dry ]s. A similar community for which data is available is a pygmy conifer-oak scrubland in southern ].

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
In the Mendocino Cypress pygmy forests ] was measured to range between 1.6 and 4.4&nbsp;kilograms per square meter aboveground; moreover, net primary productivity was found to measure 180 to 360&nbsp;grams per square meter per annum above the ground surface. Mean below-ground values are 3.5&nbsp;kilograms biomass per square meter, productivity being 402&nbsp;grams per meter per annum. The ] of the pygmy forest was estimated as 2.1&nbsp;grams per square meter implying a high production efficiency per unit leaf area for an ] community (150&nbsp;grams per meter aboveground <!--what does this 150 grams number represents? an average number for evergreen forests?-->). According to Westman, productiviy of the ''C. pigmaea'' forest lie within the range expected for open, dry ]s. A similar community for which data is available is a pygmy conifer-oak scrubland in southern ].
{{Commons category-inline|Cupressus pygmaea}}
{{Cupressaceae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5194573}}


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== References==
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Latest revision as of 09:25, 18 June 2024

Californian species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis pygmaea
Hesperocyparis pygmaea at Salt Point, Mendocino, California
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Cupressales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Hesperocyparis
Species: H. pygmaea
Binomial name
Hesperocyparis pygmaea
(Lemmon) Bartel
Natural range of Cupressus pygmaea
Synonyms
List
    • Callitropsis pygmaea (Lemmon) D.P.Little (2006)
    • Cupressus goveniana subsp. pygmaea (Lemmon) Bartel (1991)
    • Cupressus goveniana var. pygmaea Lemmon (1895)
    • Cupressus pygmaea (Lemmon) Sarg. (1901)
    • Cupressus silbae B.Huang bis (2008)
    • Hesperocyparis goveniana var. pygmaea (Lemmon) de Laub. (2012)
    • Neocupressus goveniana var. pygmaea (Lemmon) de Laub. (2009)

Hesperocyparis pygmaea, the Mendocino cypress or pygmy cypress, is a taxon of disputed status in the western cypress genus. It is endemic to certain coastal terraces and coastal mountain ranges of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in northwestern California. It is a variable tree, and closely related to Hesperocyparis abramsiana and Hesperocyparis goveniana, enough to sometimes be considered conspecific with them.

Description

The foliage is a dull dark to light green color, with scale-like leaves 1–1.5 mm long, with the leaf tips not spreading; seedlings bear needle-like leaves 8–10 mm long. The cones are small, 11–24 mm long, and almost spherical, with six or eight scales arranged in opposite decussate pairs, with the bract visible as no more than a small lump or short spine on the scale. The seeds are 3–5 mm long, with a pair of small wings along the sides. The cones remain closed on the trees for many years, until the trees are killed by a forest fire; after the tree is dead, the cones open to release the seeds which can then germinate successfully on the bare fire-cleared ground.

The Mendocino cypress differs little from H. goveniana in morphology, with the most conspicuous difference in herbarium material being the usually glossy black seeds, unlike the dull brown seeds of H. goveniana, but even this character is not constant, with dull brown seeds found in the southernmost populations of H. pygmaea near Point Arena. Preliminary genetic studies have shown some differences, with notably some plastid sequences (matK, rbcL, and trnL) suggesting a possible closer relationship to H. macrocarpa, though other sequences confirm its close relationship to H. goveniana. In cultivation together with H. goveniana, it retains a very different crown shape, with a tall slender crown, contrasting with the broad, shrubby crown of H. goveniana; it also has darker green foliage (paler, yellow-green in H. goveniana).

The largest recorded specimen is located in Mendocino County, with recorded dimensions of 43 m height, 2.13 m diameter, and 12 m crown spread, in 2000.

Taxonomy

Hesperocyparis pygmaea was first described as a subspecies by J.G. Lemmon with the name Cupressus goveniana var. pygmaea in 1895. It was described as a species by Charles Sprague Sargent in 1901. Sargent thought that the distinctness of the seeds from those of C. goveniana definitively showed it to be a species though its growth habits and form did not make it easy to identify.

Its taxonomic status is a long standing matter of dispute between botanists. In the 20th century some treated Cupressus pygmaea as a distinct species, following Sargent, including Wolf (1948), Griffin & Critchfield (1976), and Lanner (1999). Others treated it within Cupressus goveniana as either a variety (C. goveniana var. pigmaea Lemmon) or a subspecies (C. goveniana subsp. pygmaea (Lemmon) A.Camus), including Camus (1914), and the Jepson Manual (1993), and one publication, the Flora of North America, did not distinguish it at all within C. goveniana.

The spelling of the scientific name has also been confused. Lemmon's protologue at varietal rank used the spelling pigm a, a typographic error hand corrected to pigmaea, in the main description (BHL page 23343470) but pygmaea in the contents (BHL page 23343396). In raising the taxon to species rank, Sargent changed the spelling to pygmaea (BHL page 28545470), a legitimate change as a botanical name has no priority outside of the rank at which it is published (ICN Art. 11.2); this has been followed by most subsequent authors (including Camus in the first allocation to subspecific rank ), though a few subsequent authors have incorrectly used the spelling pigmaea at ranks other than varietal (e.g. Farjon 2005, Little 2006).

Disputes continued into the 2000s with Farjon agreeing that it should be part of C. goveniana in 2005. Additionally moving the new world cypress species to different genera was proposed three different times. In 2006 Damon P. Little proposed moving them to Callitropsis, but did not find wide acceptance. In 2009 two different classifications were proposed, Hesperocyparis and Neocupressus.

As of 2024 Hesperocyparis pygmaea is listed as the correct name in Plants of the World Online, World Flora Online, and the Gymnosperm Database.

Distribution and habitat

The Mendocino cypress is highly variable in growth form, depending on soil conditions. In the pygmy forest plant community on poor, acidic, nutrient-starved podsol soils with drainage impeded by an iron hardpan, it is a stunted tree from 0.2–5 meters in height at maturity. When occurring in its pygmy form, it is sometimes called pygmy cypress. When growing on deep, well-drained soils it can be a large tree up to 30–50 meters in height and 1–2.4 m in trunk diameter. The bark is dark gray-brown, with stringy texture, and fissured on old trees.

Mendocino cypress occurs in very limited ranges within only Mendocino County, on some of the historical lands of the Yuki Native American people. In Mendocino County the occurrence is in a discontinuous coastal terrace strip, primarily as a pygmy forest associated with bishop pine (Pinus muricata) and Mendocino shore pine (P. contorta var. bolanderi). Occurrences are typically below 500 m in elevation. The Mendocino County official soils survey states that "While not formally recognized as a major forest cover type, the coastal portion of the survey area also includes bishop pine and Mendocino cypress (pygmy) forest types".

Productivity

Along the Mendocino coastal terraces, whose geological age is approximately one million years, studies have been conducted of the biomass density and primary productivity of the Hesperocyparis pygmaea-dominated pygmy forest. The terraces in this area extend a full five to ten kilometers inland from the Pacific Ocean.

In the Mendocino cypress pygmy forests, biomass was measured to range between 1.6 and 4.4 kilograms per square meter aboveground; moreover, net primary productivity was found to measure 180 to 360 grams per square meter per annum above the ground surface. Mean below-ground values are 3.5 kilograms biomass per square meter, productivity being 402 grams per meter per annum. The leaf-area ratio of the pygmy forest was estimated as 2.1 grams per square meter implying a high production efficiency per unit leaf area for an evergreen community (150 grams per meter aboveground ). According to Westman, productivity of the H. pygmaea forest lies within the range expected for open, dry woodlands. A similar community for which data is available is a pygmy conifer-oak scrubland in southern Arizona.

References

  1. ^ "Hesperocyparis pygmaea (Lemmon) Bartel". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  2. ^ Farjon, Aljos (2005). A monograph of cupressaceae and sciadopitys. Kew, England: Royal botanic gardens. pp. 205, 272. ISBN 1-84246-068-4.
  3. ^ Lanner, Ronald M. (1999). Conifers of California (2. print ed.). Los Olives, California: Cachuma Press. pp. 176–177. ISBN 0-9628505-3-5.
  4. ^ Wolf, C. B.; Wagener, W. E. (1948). "The New World cypresses". Aliso. 1 (1): 195–205. doi:10.5642/aliso.19480101.02.
  5. ^ Damon P. Little (2006). "Evolution and circumscription of the true cypresses (Cupressaceae: Cupressus)". Systematic Botany. 31 (3): 461–480. doi:10.1600/036364406778388638. JSTOR 25064176.
  6. ^ Earle, Christopher J., ed. (2023). "Hesperocyparis pygmaea (Mendocino cypress) description". The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  7. Sargent, Charles S. (1901). "New or Little Known North American Trees. III". Botanical Gazette. 31 (4): 239–240. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  8. Griffin, James R.; Critchfield, William B. (1976). Research Paper PSW-82: The Distribution of Forest Trees in California (Report). USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  9. Lemmon, J. G. (1895). West-American Cone-Bearers. 3rd ed.
  10. Camus, A (1914). "Les Cyprès". Encyclopédie Économique de Sylviculture. 2: 50.
  11. ^ Bartel, Jim A. (1993). "Cupressus pigmaea subsp. pygmaea". In Hickman, James C. (ed.). The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University and Jepson Herbaria.
  12. Eckenwalder, James E. (1993). "Cupressus goveniana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  13. "Hesperocyparis pigmaea (Lemmon) Bartel". World Flora Online. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  14. "Woodland Management and Productivity". Soil Survey of Mendocino County, California, Western Part. National Cooperative Soil Survey. 1993. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
  15. Westman, W. E. & Whittaker, R. H. (1975). The Pygmy Forest Region of Northern California: Studies on Biomass and Primary Productivity. Journal of Ecology 63 (2): 493-520. ISSN 0022-0477.

External links

Media related to Cupressus pygmaea at Wikimedia Commons

Extant Cupressaceae species
Subfamily Athrotaxidoideae
Athrotaxis
Subfamily Callitroideae
Actinostrobus
Austrocedrus
Callitris
Diselma
Fitzroya
Libocedrus
Neocallitropsis
Papuacedrus
Pilgerodendron
Widdringtonia
Subfamily Cunninghamioideae
Cunninghamia
Subfamily Cupressoideae
Callitropsis
Calocedrus
Chamaecyparis
Cupressus
Hesperocyparis
Fokienia
Juniperus
Section Juniperus
Section SabinaOld World Species:

New World Species:

Microbiota
  • M. decussata
  • Platycladus
    Tetraclinis
    Thuja
    Thujopsis
    Xanthocyparis
    Subfamily Sequoioideae
    Metasequoia
    Sequoia
    Sequoiadendron
    Subfamily Taiwanioideae
    Taiwania
    Subfamily Taxodioideae
    Cryptomeria
    Glyptostrobus
    Taxodium
    Taxon identifiers
    Cupressus pygmaea
    Categories: