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Cupressus arizonica

Common name:	Arizona Cypress	Family:	Cupressaceae
Author:	Greene.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California to Texas and New Mexico, south to Mexico.
Habitat:	Rocky or gravelly soils of canyons and ravines, 1000 - 2650 metres[229].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arizona Cypress [P,FEIS,DEN2,S,B], Cypress, Arizona [S],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Cypress family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 25m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Fuel Soil stabilization Wood.

Trees are very drought tolerant and are planted on slopes in its native range in order to prevent soil erosion[229].
Wood - soft, close-grained[61]. Hard, heavy and durable according to another report[229]. Used for general construction and fuel[61].

Cultivation details

Thrives in a well-drained loamy or peaty soil[11]. Established plants are very tolerant of hot dry conditions and of drought[81]. Tolerates poor sandy soils[81] but is then more subject to insect damage in a succession of dry seasons[11]. Requires a sunny position[81].
A fast-growing and long-lived tree in the wild[229], this species is the hardiest member of the genus[11], though it is still somewhat tender in Britain, at least in the north of the country[11]. It succeeds in most of Britain once it is established[81]. The sub-species A. arizonica glabra. (Sudw.)Little. is a very hardy form, thriving in any soil from chalk to acid sands, this is the form most commonly grown in Britain[200].
Trees are fairly fast-growing in Britain, new growth takes place from late May until mid-September and can reach 60cm per year on young trees[185].
Cultivated as a timber tree in Italy and occasionally in other parts of Europe[50]. The young tree has an attractive pyramidal shape and is widely grown as a Christmas tree in its native range[229].
The seed takes two summers to develop[229]. Mature cones often remain closed on the tree[81], only opening after the heat of a forest fire[200].
Plants are subject to injury by the wind[11, 81].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a cold frame and only just cover the seed[164]. Three weeks cold stratification can improve germination rates[164]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20° c. The seedlings are very subject to damping off so should be watered with care and kept well-ventilated[113]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed can store for several years[113].
Cuttings of almost ripe wood, September in a frost-proof frame[1]. April/May is the best time to take cuttings[113].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for the family Cupressaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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