title: How to reduce air pollution by Cupressus pollen?
abstract: Cypress trees are among the most famous trees of the Mediterranean region. The origin of Cupressus sempervirens is apparently in the East Mediterranean. A nice description of the site of origin of Cupressus was provided by the Roman philosopher Plinius: "cypress trees sprout spontaneously on Mt. Ida on the island of Crete, whenever the soil there is disturbed". The aesthetic shape of the trees, the quality of their timber and their adaptation to harsh environmental conditions has attracted people. Certain varieties of the tree (e.g., var. Pyramidalis) were spread rapidly all over the Mediterranean and since the 16th century were introduced into the Western Hemisphere and other parts of the world. During historical times, Cupressus sempervirens was so widely used in the East Mediterranean countries that it reached the brink of extinction. Nowadays it is planted on a large scale as an ornamental plant as a windbreak and as a forest tree. Such plantations have various impacts on their environment, many positive ones, some negative ones, and some disastrous ones. This last aspect is where cypresses come in.
authors.affiliation: Ted Arison Laboratory for Pollen Monitoring, Department of Plant Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Waisel
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control; D011058:Pollen; D013045:Species Specificity; D014197:Trees