cypress from Michael Barclay
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: cypress from Michael Barclay
- From: D* W*
- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 16:07:44 -0800
Michael's server has put "mail" into his address again, so his
message was rejected.
---------------------------------------------------------
Hi, Nancy---From your post I can't tell whether you are talking about Monterey
Cypress (a recent thread) or the so-called Kashmir Cypress which I learned from
The ADS is now officially Cupressus himalaicus var. darjeelinmgensis.
When Marcia
and I bought our original trees they were sold as Cupressus
cashmiriana and there
exact place of origin was unknown. I believe this is still the
label at Strybing
and Quail. Several years later the Journal of the Canadian/UK
Dendrlogical Union
had a long article by Keith Rushforth saying that for many years the center of
population was unknown but had recently been located in Kashmir, of
all places.
Keith also wrote that in the UK where it is grown under glass their
was a persistent
rumour that it was a juvenile form of Cupressus torulosa that retained its baby
foliage form which is pendulous blue veils of leaves. It was also
written (where?)
that they lose their beauty over a certain (age or height, take your
pick). Some
years ago I purchased a bluer, finer and even more pendulous form from the late
Don Kleim who owned Henderson's Experimental Gardens in Clovis, CA. It was
marked C. darjeelingensis. Now Tim L. says the lastest nomenclature takes in
a variety of forms and should be Cupressus himalaicus var.
darjeelingensis. Forest
Farm Nursery agrees. Unfortunately they sold us ten tubelings years ago as
"cahmiriana that were immediately recognizable as torulosa and came from as
seed from a major Indian botanical garden.
In any case there are varieties of Cupressus himalaicus growing at Strybing,
Quail Marcia and my gardens all originally C. cashmiriana. The new var.
darjeelingensis in now growing tall as fastigiate (because even more pendulous)
in my wife's garden in Berkeley-it is now perhaps 5' tall and distinctly more
blue than the old cashmiriana. I understand they are doing DNA testing
in Scotland and have also planted this new clone out in a very protected site
at the RBGE.
That's I'm sure more than you ever wanted to know---especially if you were
asking about Monterey Cypress.
Yours sincerely,
Michael D. Barclay, MLD
Really Special Plants & Gardens
Kensington, CA Sunset zones 16/17
operatic@earthlink.net
