CUPRESSUS MACROCARPA


Common names: Monterey Cypress
Description: A stout tree, reaching up to 80 feet in height, with square stems and fibrous, irregular grey bark. When found along the coast the tree tends to look very windswept, however when grown in more protected areas it will grow straight with a much narower crown.
Flowers: Males have small, pale yellow-green at the end of branch tips, often in abundance. Females have small light green near branch tips. Fruit is a dry, almost round woody cone that only opens with fire. It is 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and has 8 to 12 scales with small points. It is initially glaucuous and green but turns brown and dull when mature. These may remain on the branches for several years.
Leaves: Evergreen, scaly, blunt tipped- tightly packed on the stems in opposite pairs. Bright green in color.
Reproduction: By seed.
Flowering:
Habitat and Ecology: Native to Monterey and Carmel counties. Most widely planted ornamental tree in California.