Widdringtonia: African Cypress Trees

Widdringtonia is a genus of coniferous tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s in the Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae

The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera with about 130-140 species....
(cypress
Cupressaceae

The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera with about 130-140 species....
family). There are four species, all native to southern Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, where they are known in the past as "cedars" (to which they are not related) but are now known as African cypresses.

They are large shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s, reaching 5-20 m tall (to 40 m in W. whytei). The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
and scale-like, except on seedlings, which have needle-like leaves 1-1.5 cm long. The adult scale leaves are arranged in decussate opposite pairs in four rows along the twigs, while the juvenile needle leaves are arranged spirally.

The male cones
Conifer cone

A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the plant sexuality structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds....
are small, 3-6 mm long, and are located at the tips of the twigs. The female cones start out similarly inconspicuous, maturing in 18-20 months to 2-3 cm long and wide, globular to ovoid, with four, thick, woody scales, arranged in two opposite pairs. The cones mostly remain closed on the trees for many years, opening only after being scorched by a wildfire
Wildfire

A wildfire is any uncontrolled, non-structure fire that occurs in the wilderness, wildland, or The Bush. Synonyms such as wildland fire, forest fire, brush fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, Peat#Fires, bushfire , and hill fire are commonly used....
; this then releases the seed
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
s to grow on the newly cleared burnt ground. In W. whytei the cones open soon after maturity to shed the seed without fire; this species is more sensitive to fire and only grows in moister situations where it is protected from fire. The best adapted to fire is W. nodiflora, which has the ability to re-grow from the roots, as well as by seed.

Species One species is widespread in southern Africa, while the other three have restricted ranges, often occurring with or near to the widespread species.

* Widdringtonia cedarbergensis
Widdringtonia cedarbergensis

Widdringtonia cedarbergensis is a species of Widdringtonia native to South Africa, where it is endemism to the Cederberg northeast of Cape Town in Western Cape Province....
- Clanwilliam Cypress. Endemic
Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, Habitat type, nation, or other defined zone....
, Cederberg Mountains
Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Widdringtonia , which is a tree Endemic to the area....
(northeast of Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
), Western Cape Province, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
.
* Widdringtonia nodiflora
Widdringtonia nodiflora

Widdringtonia nodiflora is a species of Widdringtonia native to southern Africa, from southern Malawi, southern Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe and eastern and southern South Africa....
- Mountain Cypress. Widespread, southern Malawi
Malawi

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west....
south to Western Cape Province, South Africa.
* Widdringtonia schwarzii
Widdringtonia schwarzii

Widdringtonia schwarzii is a species of Widdringtonia native to South Africa, where it is endemism to the Baviaanskloof and Kouga Mountains west of Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape Province; it occurs on dry rocky slopes and crags at 600-1,200 m altitude....
- Willowmore Cypress. Endemic, Baviaanskloof and Kouga Mountains (west of Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
* Widdringtonia whytei
Widdringtonia whytei

Widdringtonia whytei is a species of Widdringtonia native to Malawi, where it is endemism to the Mulanje Massif at altitudes of 1,830-2,550 m....
- Mulanje Cypress. Endemic, Mulanje Massif
Mulanje Massif

The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large monadnock in southern Malawi near the city of Blantyre, Malawi, rising sharply from the surrounding plains of Chiradzulu, and the tea-growing Mulanje district....
, Malawi.

The closest relatives of Widdringtonia are Callitris
Callitris

Callitris is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are 15 species in the genus, of which 13 are native to Australia and the other two native to New Caledonia....
and Actinostrobus
Actinostrobus

Actinostrobus is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . Common names include cypress and cypress-pine, the latter name shared by the closely related genus Callitris....
from Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, which differ in their cones and leaves being in whorls of three, not opposite pairs.

Uses
The wood is light, soft and aromatic. It can be easily split and resists decay. It is used to make furniture, indoor and outdoor panelling, and fence posts. That of W. whytei was particularly valuable as it was available in large sizes, but this species is now endangered and no longer cut to any extent.

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