The foliage grows in dense, usually moderately decumbent and pendulous sprays of bright green, very slender, slightly flattened shoots.

The seed cones are globose, 8–15 mm long, with 6–10 scales (usually 8), green, maturing dark brown about 24 months after pollination.

The precise natural range of Cupressus funebris is uncertain due to a long history of cultivation.

More generally, it also occurs in Anhui, Fujian, southern Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang, typically planted around monasteries and temples or in gardens.

[2] Cupressus funebris is cultivated as an ornamental tree, due to its graciously weeping form and texture, and planted in gardens and public parks in other warm temperate regions, such as California.