Either of two large swamp trees ( Taxodium distichum and T. ascendens ; family Taxodiaceae) of the southern U.S. that are related to the sequoias.
The hard red wood of cypress is often used for roofing shingles. The so-called deciduous cypress family (see deciduous tree ) comprises 10 genera with 15 species of ornamental and timber evergreen trees, native to eastern Asia, Tasmania, and North America. The leaves on a single tree may be scalelike, needlelike, or a mixture of both. Both male and female cone s are borne on the same tree. The Tasmanian cedar ( Athrotaxis ), Japanese cedar ( Cryptomeria japonica ), China fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata ), umbrella pine ( Sciadopitys verticillata ), big tree , redwood , dawn redwood , and bald cypress are economically important timber trees in this family.