A Review of Exotic Species of Cupressaceae Grown in China

Cupressaceae composed of 131 species and 33 varieties belonged to 21 genera, of which 32 species and 9 varieties from 7 genera are naturally distributed in China.About 52 species and 11 varieties of 5 genera have been introduced into China since 1900’s, however, only 25 species and 4 varieties of 2 genera have survived.Successful exotic species in China are mainly from genera Chamaecyparis, Cupressus and Juniperus. At present, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Ch. pisifera, Cupressus arizonica and C. lusitanica have become important plantation species in eastern subtropical zones. Juniperus viginiana has widely been planted in central and northern China.As ornamental species, J.procumbens and J.communis are excellent in northern cities, while Thuja occidentalis, Th.standishii. and Thujopsis dolabrata in the south for urban plantings.Two major problems for the conservation and utilization of the genetic resources of Cupressaceae are as follows:(1)little attention has been paid to the domestication of indigenous species, (2) narrow genetic bases of exotic species need to be brodened because a few seed sources of some species have been used in plantation forestry.