What is "cupressus sempervirens"

Cypress \Cy"press\ (s?"pr?s), n.; pl. Cypresses (-?z). [OE. cipres, cipresse, OF. cipres, F. cypr?s, L. cupressus, cyparissus (cf. the usual Lat. form cupressus), fr. Gr. ????, perh. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. g?pher, Gen. vi. 14.] (Bot) A coniferous tree of the genus Cupressus. The species are mostly evergreen, and have wood remarkable for its durability.

Note: Among the trees called cypress are the common Oriental cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, the evergreen American cypress, Cupressus thyoides (now called Chamaecyparis sphaeroidea), and the deciduous American cypress, Taxodium distichum. As having anciently been used at funerals, and to adorn tombs, the Oriental species is an emblem of mourning and sadness.

Cypress vine (Bot.), a climbing plant with red or white flowers ( Ipot[oe]a Quamoclit, formerly Quamoclit vulgaris).

Cupressus sempervirens, the Mediterranean cypress (also known as Italian cypress, Tuscan cypress, graveyard cypress, or pencil pine), is a species of cypress native to the eastern Mediterranean region, in northeast Libya, southern Albania, southern coastal Croatia ( Dalmatia), southern Greece, southern Turkey, Cyprus, northern Egypt, western Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Malta, Italy, western Jordan, and also a disjunct population in Iran.

C. sempervirens is a medium-sized coniferous evergreen tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall, with a conic crown with level branches and variably loosely hanging branchlets. It is very long-lived, with some trees reported to be over 1,000 years old.

The foliage grows in dense sprays, dark green in colour. The leaves are scale-like, 2–5 mm long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are ovoid or oblong, 25–40 mm long, with 10-14 scales, green at first, maturing brown about 20–24 months after pollination. The male cones are 3–5 mm long, and release pollen in late winter. It is moderately susceptible to cypress canker, caused by the fungus Seiridium cardinale, and can suffer extensive dieback where this disease is common. The species name sempervirens comes from the Latin for 'evergreen'.