Cupressus sempervirens Linnaeus, 1753

General Information Biotope types Photos Other

Vernacular name:

Mediterranean cypress, Italian, Tuscan or graveyard cypress, pencil pine

Kind:

Plantae

EUNIS Code	Biotope Type Name	Source
G4	Mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland	Hill, M.O., Moss, D. & Davies, C.E.
G3.9	Coniferous woodland dominated by Cupressaceae or Taxaceae	Hill, M.O., Moss, D. & Davies, C.E.
G3.F13	Native cypress, juniper, yew plantations	Devillers, P., Devillers-Terschuren, J. and Vander Linden, C.
I2.12	Botanical gardens
G3.748	Hellenic [Pinus halepensis] forests	Devillers, P., Devillers-Terschuren, J. and Vander Linden, C.
G3.9D	Greek [Cupressus sempervirens] woods
I2.21	Ornamental garden areas	Devillers, P., Devillers-Terschuren, J. and Vander Linden, C.

Mythology

Cupressus sempervirens was known by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the mournful tree, sacred to the rulers of the underworld and to their associates, the Fates and the Furies. It was customary to plant it by a grave, and, at the time of a death, to place it either before the house of the decedent or in the vestibule, to warn those about to perform a sacred rite against entering a place polluted by a dead body. No Roman funeral was complete without cypress. Mourners carried its branches as a sign of respect and the bodies of the great were laid upon cypress branches before interment. According to Ovid, the tree was named after Kyparissos, a favorite of Apollo. The young boy accidentally slew Apollo’s beloved stag. He became so remorseful that he besought the gods to punish him with everlasting gloom. In compliance they transformed him into a cypress tree. The cypress is the principal cemetery tree in the Muslim world as well as in ancient and modern European cultures.