Widdringtonia cedarbergensis (Clanwilliam Cypress)
Widdringtonia cedarbergensis (Clanwilliam Cypress) is a species of Widdringtonia
Widdringtonia
Widdringtonia is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are four species, all native to southern Africa, where they are known in the past as "cedars" but are now known as African cypresses....
native to 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....
, where it is endemic to the 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....
in Western Cape Province. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It is a small 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....
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....
growing to 5-7 m (rarely to 20 m) tall. 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 scale-like, 1.5 mm long and 1 mm broad on small shoots, up to 15 mm long on strong-growing shoots, and arranged in opposite decussate pairs. The 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 globose to rectangular, 2-3 cm long, with four scales.
It was formerly often called "Clanwilliam Cedar" but has been renamed Clanwilliam Cypress to better reflect its botanical relationships.
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