Cupressus arizonica

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Tracheophyta
Divisio: Pinophyta
Classis: Pinopsida
Ordo: Pinales

Familia: Cupressaceae
Subfamilia: Cupressoideae
Genus: Cupressus
Species: Cupressus arizonica
Name

Cupressus arizonica Greene, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 9: 64 (1882).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Cupressus benthamii var. arizonica (Greene) Mast., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 31: 340 (1896).
Cupressus arizonica f. typica Martínez, Anales Inst. Biol. Univ. Nac. México 18: 121 (1947), nom. inval.
Cupressus lusitanica subsp. arizonica (Greene) Maire, Fl. Afrique N. 1: 124 (1952).
Callitropsis arizonica (Greene) D.P.Little, Syst. Bot. 31: 473 (2006).
Hesperocyparis arizonica (Greene) Bartel, Phytologia 91: 180 (2009).
Neocupressus arizonica (Greene) de Laub., Novon 19: 301 (2009).
Heterotypic
Cupressus arizonica var. bonita Lemmon, Cone-bear. Trees Pacif. Slope, ed. 3: 76 (1895).
Cupressus arizonica var. compacta C.K.Schneid. in E.E.Silva Tarouca, Uns. Freil.-Nadelhölzer: 174 (1913).
Cupressus arizonica glauca Woodall, Garden (London, 1871-1927) 88: 16 (1916).
Cupressus arizonica f. glomerata Martínez, Anales Inst. Biol. Univ. Nac. México 18: 129 (1947).
Cupressus arizonica f. minor Martínez, Anales Inst. Biol. Univ. Nac. México 18: 133 (1947).
Cupressus arizonica f. compacta (C.K.Schneid.) Rehder, Bibl. Cult. Trees: 50 (1949).
Cupressus arizonica f. glauca (Woodall) Rehder, Bibl. Cult. Trees: 50 (1949).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe (introduced)
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Italy, Turkey-in-Europe.
Continental: Africa (introduced)
Regional: Southern Africa
Free State.
Continental: Asia-Temperate (introduced)
Regional: Western Asia
Turkey.
Continental: Northern America
Regional: Southwestern U.S.A.
Arizona.
Regional: South-Central U.S.A.
New Mexico, Texas.
Regional: Mexico
Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest.
Continental: Southern America (introduced)
Regional: Southern South America
Argentina Northeast.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Greene, E.L. 1882. New Western Plants. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 9(5): 62–65. DOI: 10.2307/2477006 BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Little, D.P. 2006. Evolution and circumscription of the true Cypresses (Cupressaceae: Cupressus). Systematic Botany 31(3): 461–480. DOI: 10.1600/036364406778388638 Paywall BioOne Paywall JSTOR Hybrid open access journal Reference page.

Links

USDA NRCS PLANTS Profile

Vernacular names
беларуская: Кіпарыс арызонскі
suomi: Arizonansypressi
galego: Alcipreste de Arizona
italiano: Cipresso dell'Arizona
македонски: Аризонски чемпрес
Türkçe: Arizona servisi

Cupressus arizonica, the Arizona cypress, is a North American species of tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Populations may be scattered rather than in large, dense stands.

Description

Cupressus arizonica is a coniferous evergreen tree with a conic to ovoid-conic crown. It grows to heights of 10–25 m (33–82 ft), and its trunk diameter reaches 55 cm (22 in). The foliage grows in dense sprays, varying from dull gray-green to bright glaucous blue-green. The leaves are scale-like, 2–5 mm long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are globose to oblong, 15–33 mm long, with 6 or 8 (rarely 4 or 10) scales, green at first, maturing gray or gray-brown about 20–24 months after pollination. The cones remain closed for many years, only opening after the bearing branch is killed (in a wildfire or otherwise), allowing the seeds to colonize the bare ground exposed by the fire. The male cones are 3–5 mm long, and release pollen in February–March.[3]
Taxonomy

Up to five varieties are distinguished by some botanists,[2] and these are sometimes treated as distinct species:

Cupressus arizonica var. arizonica, Arizona Cypress – secure. Southern Arizona, southwest New Mexico, south to Durango and Tamaulipas, Chisos Mountains of west Texas.
Cupressus arizonica var. glabra, Smooth Arizona cypress – secure. Central Arizona.
Cupressus arizonica var. montana (C. montana), San Pedro Mártir cypress – Vulnerable. Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests of Northern Baja California.
Cupressus arizonica var. nevadensis (C. nevadensis), Paiute cypress – Least Concern. Southern California (Kern County and Tulare County).
Cupressus arizonica var. stephensonii, Cuyamaca cypress – Critically endangered. Southern California (San Diego County). Also known as Hesperocyparis stephensonii (Jespon Manual). Most of this population was burnt in the October 2003 Cedar Fire, though (as expected for a fire-climax species) subsequent regeneration has been good.

Distribution

Cupressus arizonica is found mainly in the southwestern United States (Arizona, Utah, southwestern New Mexico, and southern California, with a few populations in southern Nevada and in the Chisos Mountains of western Texas), and in Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and northern Baja California).[4][3] In the wild, the species is often found in small, scattered populations, not necessarily in large forests. An example occurrence is within the Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests of Mexico,[5] where it is found along with canyon live oak and California fan palm.
Uses

Arizona cypress, particularly the strongly glaucous C. arizonica var. glabra, is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree. Unlike Monterey cypress, it has proved highly resistant to cypress canker, caused by the fungus Seiridium cardinale, and growth is reliable where this disease is prevalent.

The cultivar 'Pyramidalis'[6] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).[7]
References

Farjon, A. (2013). "Cupressus arizonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T42216A2962318. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42216A2962318.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
"Cupressus arizonica Greene". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List.
Eckenwalder, James E. (1993). "Cupressus arizonica". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 2. New York and Oxford – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
"Cupressus arizonica". SEINet, Southwestern Biodiversity, Arizona chapter: photos, description, distribution map.
National Geographic 2001.
"RHS Plant Selector – Cupressus arizonica 'Blue Ice'". Retrieved 15 April 2020.

"AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 26. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

Further reading
World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Sierra Juarez and Sierra Pedro Martir Pine-oak Forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
Farjon, A. (2013). "Cupressus arizonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T42216A2962318. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42216A2962318.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.