Cypress, Mexican (Cupressus lusitanica)

Cypress, Mexican is an imported softwood

Location

Native to Mexico and Guatemala, Mexican cypress (Cupressus lusitanica) is now widely planted at high elevations throughout the tropical world.

Characteristics

The heartwood is yellowish, pale brown, or pinkish, with occasional streaking or variegation. The texture is fine and uniform, and the grain is usually straight. The wood is fragrantly scented. The density of air-dried wood is 512 kg/m3 (32 lb/ft3), and the strength is comparable with that of yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) or western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). The wood is easy to work with hand and machine tools, and it nails, stains, and polishes well. Mexican cypress air dries very rapidly with little or no end- or surface-checking. Reports on durability are conflicting. The heartwood is not treatable by the open tank process and seems to have an irregular response to pressure- vacuum systems.

Primary Uses

Mexican cypress is used mainly for posts and poles, furniture components, and general construction.

*Much of the base wood information presented here is made available by the USDA FPL FS. If you are interested in a much more technical description of wood properties, I encourage you to visit the source.