Cupressus atlantica

Cupressus atlantica
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Cupressales
Family:	Cupressaceae
Genus:	Cupressus
Species:	C. atlantica
Binomial name
Cupressus atlantica Gaussen
Synonyms
C. dupreziana var. atlantica(Gaussen)  Silba

Cupressus atlantica, the Moroccan cypress, is a rare coniferous tree endemic to the valley of the Oued n'Fiss river in the High Atlas Mountains south of Marrakesh in western Morocco. ^[2] The majority are old, with very little regeneration due to overgrazing by goats, and they are critically endangered. ^[3]

This species is distinct from the allied Cupressus sempervirens (Mediterranean cypress) in its much bluer foliage with a white resin spot on each leaf, the smaller shoots often being flattened in a single plane. It also has smaller, globose cones, only 1.5-2.5 cm long. Cupressus dupreziana (Saharan cypress) is more similar, and C. atlantica is treated as a variety of it (C. dupreziana var. atlantica) by some authors. Moroccan cypress does not however share the unique reproductive system of male apomixis found in Saharan cypress. ^[4]

References

1. Gardner, Martin; Griffiths, Alexander (7 March 2012). "Cupressus dupreziana var. atlantica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 7 March 2012.
2. "Cupressus atlantica description". 2006-05-01. Archived from the original on 2006-05-01. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
3. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
4. Youssef, Sfairi; Lahcen, Ouahmane; Abdelaziz, Abbad (September 2012). "Breaking seed dormancy in Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, an endemic and threatened coniferous tree in Morocco". Journal of Forestry Research. 23 (3): 385–390. doi:10.1007/s11676-012-0274-0. ISSN   1007-662X. S2CID   14998564.