Spanish Cypress

Family: Cupressaceae - Order: Pinales - Class: Pinopsida

Scientific name: Cupressus sempervirens

Trade name: Spanish Cypress / Mediterranean Cypress

Also known as Italian cypress, Tuscan cypress, Persian cypress, or pencil pine

Origin: South Europe to Asia Middle East.

Instrumental uses:
Guitar back and sides, head plates and bindings.

Tonal properties:

It is the preferred for Flamenco guitar building. Extraordinarily punchy, a very percussive and projective sound with a clear bright tone. Can be also used for Classical Guitar building as back and sides combined with several types of soundboards and inherent bracing configuration with excellent results. Can also be mixed with rosewoods to get specific sound fusions.

The grain is usually straight, however, it has irregularities due to the large number of knots and the grain is fine. Easy to work,  glues and finishes well.

Is stiff and very resistant with an average dried weight nearly 550  kg/m3 depending on the soils. 

It is native to semi-arid mountains of south Europe and the Middle East. Now can be found in several parts of the globe since it grows well with minimal care; of course the quality of the wood will differ. Is a medium size coniferous evergreen tree, can reach 35 m tall. The trunk is usually straight with a conic crown with level branches and variably loosely hanging branchlets.

The color of the wood is light yellow in the sapwood, and in the heartwood a yellowish cream tone or light cream, sometimes with pink light nuances.

CITES status is unrestricted. Is reported on the IUCN Red List as least concern.