Cupressus austrotibetica
Species of conifer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cupressus austrotibetica is a species of cypress tree native to the deep valleys of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon area in the south of Tibet. The species name translates as 'south Tibetan cypress'.
| Cupressus austrotibetica | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cupressus austrotibetica tall emergent trees in the Parlung Tsangpo valley in Tibet | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnosperms |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Cupressales |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Genus: | Cupressus |
| Species: | C. austrotibetica |
| Binomial name | |
| Cupressus austrotibetica Silba | |
Description
It is a large to extremely large tree, growing up to 102 metres tall, making it the second tallest tree species on Earth after Sequoia sempervirens.[1][2] The bark is thick, grey-brown, vertically furrowed. It is distinguished from other Cupressus species by its extremely slender, thread-like shoots under 1 mm thick, and small cones just 12-16 mm long and under 12 mm diameter, with 8–12 scales.[2]
Distribution
Cupressus austrotibetica is native to the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon system, particularly its tributary the Parlung Tsangpo, at 1980-2800 m altitude.[2]
