CRYPTOMERIA or JAPANESE CEDAR, a genus of conifers, containing a single species, C. japonica, a native of Japan. It is one of the finest of Japanese trees, reaching a height of Ioo or more feet, usually divested of branches along the lower part of the trunk and crowned with a conical head. The narrow, pointed leaves are spirally arranged and persist for four or five years; the cones are small, globose and borne at the ends of the branchlets, the scales are thickened at the extremity and divided into sharply pointed lobes, three to five seeds are borne on each scale. Cryptomeria is extensively used in Japan for reafforesting denuded lands, as it is a valuable timber tree ; it is also planted to form avenues along the public roads. Many curious varieties have been obtained by Japanese horticulturists, including dwarf forms a few feet in height. When grown in Great Britain or the northern United States, Cryptomeria requires a deep, well-drained soil with plenty of moisture, and protection from cold winds.