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January 2026: False Cypress

The January Tree of the Month is a genus of six evergreens in the cypress family called Chamaecyparis, or False Cypress.


The species are native to the North American coasts and temperate East Asia. The genus name combines the Greek words chamai, for "dwarf or low to the ground" and kuparissos, for "cypress.” 

They are medium to large trees that reach 50 to 90 feet in landscape settings.


Their vertical growth habit means they often are used as screens or windbreaks or grouped in hedges. You might also see them in formal English or Asian gardens. One species, the Port Orford Cedar, is used for timber framing, especially in large buildings such as Japanese temples, and on guitars.


The six species are:

• C. thyoides, Atlantic white cedar (native to the Atlantic and coast of North America

• C. formosensis, Taiwan red cypress

• C. hodginsii, Fujian cypress

• C. obtusa, Japanese cypress

• C. pisifer, Sawara cypress

• C. lawsoniana, Lawson’s cypress or Port Orford cedar (native to Oregon and northwestern California)

ヒノキ (学名:Chamaecyparis obtusa) Σ64 No changes were made to this image. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
ヒノキ (学名:Chamaecyparis obtusa) Σ64 No changes were made to this image. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

(Note : The University of Kentucky’s Extension Service warns the latter two are short lived, adding that the Lawson’s can suffer disease and insect damage, and the Sawara can have brown leaves and be

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Port Orford Cedar stand.jpg. Public Domain. U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Port Orford Cedar stand.jpg. Public Domain. U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region

damaged by ice and snow).


Overall, false cypresses are low maintenance, tolerate full sun to part shade, and prefer moist, well-drained soil. 


More information on False Cypress is here:



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