The genusCupressusL.

The genus Cupressus L. (Cupressaceae) is unevenly distributed across the world, occurring mostly in the northern hemisphere. Species of Cupressus have been considered very important from traditional to modern times due to their many useful characteristics. Common cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) is a sacred and highly praised tree with a rich and long history in some cultures around the Mediterranean basin, West Asia, Asia Minor, North Africa, and North America. Common cypress, also called Mediterranean or Italian cypress, is an integral part of the landscape, economy, history, symbolism, tradition, religion, culture, romance, and folklore of most countries in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The natural geographic distribution of C. sempervirens is characterized by uneven and often relic populations growing in Iran, as well as in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Libya, the Aegean Islands, Crete, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is also cultivated in most Mediterranean countries. Many monumental and old accessions of cypress and, particularly Sarv-e-Abarkuh (Abarkuh Cypress), are presently found in central, southeastern, and southwestern parts of Iran. Historically, cypress has been the first choice for Persian (Iranian) gardens. The word “Sarvestan” (meaning a place covered with many cypresses) is used as a name for some cities and localities in Iran, especially in Fars, Yazd, and Kerman provinces, highlighting the importance and symbolic position of cypress in Persia since time immemorial. Anthropogenic and environmental pressure such as fire, drought, overexploitation, pastoral activities, overgrazing, cypress canker, etc. are the main threats for individual cypress trees and small populations worldwide. Genetic improvement programs for cypress are targeted at resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses and, in particular, cypress canker caused by Seiridium. Large-scale breeding programs in recent decades, mainly for selecting resistant cultivars against canker, have been successful in the release of some canker-tolerant clones. Cryopreservation and somatic embryogenesis are two reliable methods that can be used to facilitate breeding programs and to assist biotechnological studies on this species. Approaches such as the establishment of germplasm banks, cooperative germplasm conservation and transfer programs, cryopreservation, optimization of efficient propagation methods (especially the use of tissue culture), the extensive use of cypress in private and public gardens, parks, and landscapes, and the development of ecotourism have recently been introduced for the efficient protection of the genus Cupressus worldwide.