Sawara cypress
Scale leaved with distinct lateral and facial leaves, the facial leaves with narrowly acute tips. Foliage with a frizzy or crisped appearance. Underside with variable amounts of white markings towards the base of each scale, upperside an even yellowish-green. Crushed foliage with an acrid-resinous smell. Cones spherical, and the smallest of the Chamaecyparis - 0.5-0.7cm diameter with 8-12 scales. Scales wrinkled when mature, tips with a very slight, blunt central spine.
There are many horticultural cultivars of this species, many of which bear little resemblance to the type. Colour ranges from golden yellow to glaucous green and foliage can be wildly exaggerated. 'Filifera' has extended internodes resulting in whip-like shoots with a weeping form, often golden yellow. 'Squarrosa' has permanently juvenile foliage with needles like leaves in opposite and decussate pairs, usually glaucous green but with large amounts of dead foliage in the interior of the tree. 'Plumosa' has permanently semi-juvenile foliage, the scale leaves with elongated free tips. All forms seem to have the acris-resinous odour when crushed.
Sawara cypress is native Japan and was introduced to the British Isles in Native to western. The many horticultural forms of Sawara cypress are common in gardens, parkland, and sometimes appear in car-parks and other amenity plantings. The type species is less common but does appear now and then in similar settings.