Formosan Cypress

It is a slow-growing, but long-lived and ultimately large to very large coniferous tree growing to 55–60 m tall with a trunk up to 7 m in diameter. The bark is red-brown, vertically fissured and with a stringy texture. The foliage is arranged in flat sprays; adult leaves are scale-like, 1–3 mm long, with pointed tips, green both above and below with only an inconspicuous stomatal 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, 4–8 mm long, soft and glaucous bluish-green. The cones are ovoid-oblong, 6–12 mm long and 4–8 mm diameter, with 8–16 scales arranged in opposite pairs, maturing in autumn about 7–8 months after pollination.

The Formosan cypress of Smangus are some of the largest in Taiwan, but are the center of a dilemma for locals * Sinorama Magazine ( by Chang Chin-ju, 2001) The Coolest Taste of Summer-Taiwan's Jelly Fig e More

Aspects of the topic Formosan cypress are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * characteristics (in false cypress (tree)) The wood of the Formosan cypress (C. formosensis), a tree more than 58 metres (190 feet) tall, is used locally for construction; it is not fragrant like the wood of other cypresses. More