Arizona Cypress - Cupressus arizonica

Cupressus arizonica has a conic to ovoid-conic crown. It grows to heights of 10 to 25 metres and its trunk diameter reaches 0.5 metres. The foliage varies from dull grey-green to bright glaucous blue-green spreading at acute angle. The branchlets are not flattened but spreading in 3 dimensions. The leaves are scale-like, 2 to 5 mm long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are globose to oblong, 15 to 33 mm long, with 6 or 8 (rarely 4 or 10) scales, green at first, maturing grey or grey-brown about 20 to 24 months after pollination. The cones remain closed for many years. The male cones are 3 to 5 mm long, and release pollen in February or March.

other Cupressus, especially Monterey Cypress.  Other ornamental cypress with spreading branchlets are often planted in parks and gardens

Spreading branchlets, large cones

A specimen of this plant should be retained for verification (note that it is not keyed out in Stace 4)

Occasionally planted.

All year round.

Coniferous evergreen tree.

Not commonly recorded in Britain.

Uncommon or under recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland. It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.