Chamaecyparis obtusa

Chamaecyparis obtusa
Temporal range:
A 700-year-old hinoki tree at Daichi-ji temple in Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Cupressales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Chamaecyparis
Species:
C. obtusa
Binomial name
Chamaecyparis obtusa
Subspecies

Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana

Chamaecyparis obtusa (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; Japanese: or , hinoki) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and ornamental qualities, with many cultivars commercially available. It once existed outside Asia with a range that stretched to Germany during the Miocene. Hinoki grows primarily on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The main massifs are formed in mountainous regions with a moderately humid climate, at altitudes from 300 to 1,500 meters above sea level.