Results - Branch angle, Branch Index and Branch frequency

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Branch angle

There was a significant difference in branch angle (P=7.1x10-7). The mean branch angle of Hycol is the closest to horizontal. Ferndown and SC2 had mean branch angles that were also close to horizontal. The seedling grown C. macrocarpa cultivar has the steepest branch angle and is significantly more erect than all of the other cultivars (Figure 1).

BIX (Branch Index)

There was a significant difference in BIX (P=1.4x10-6). Both Ovensii and Ferndown had small BIX measurements averaging 35.7 mm and 36.3 mm respectively (Figure 1). The other hybrid Leighton Green also had a small average BIX. The largest average BIX was measured on SC5 at 53.9 and was significantly larger than the hybrids as well as C. lusitanica and SC2 (Figure 1).

Branch frequency

There was a significant difference in branch frequency (P=1.4x10-8). With 21 branches between 1.3 to 2.3 m above ground level, Ovensii had significantly fewer branches than the other cultivars (Figure 1). C. lusitanica had a low branch frequency with 26 branches (Figure 1). The cultivar with the greatest number of branches was C. macrocarpa with an average of 36 branches. This was significantly more branches than all other cultivars, except Ferndown that averaged 33 branches on the stem between 1.3 and 2.3 m above ground level (Figure 1).

Cypress Trial Chart 3 - Branch angle, BIX and Branch frequency

Figure 1 Comparison of the eight cypress cultivars with respect to Branch angle rank, where a rank of 0 indicates a horizontal branch angle, on the right axis; and BIX, in millimetres; and Branch frequency, in number of branches per metre, on the left axis.

Cypress Trial steep angle of C. macrocarpa & Branch Index of SC5

Figure 2 An example of the steep branching and high number of branches per metre of stem of C. macrocarpa.

Figure 3 The large BIX (Branch Index) of this example of a SC5 indicates that this cultivar will be difficult to prune.

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