Characteristics:
Common name: Monterey cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Origin: North America
Mature height: 20 to 25 meters
Hardiness: -20 ° C
Exposure: sunny, partial shade, shade
Plant type: ornamental tree
Vegetation: perennial
Foliage: persistent
Flowering: end of winter
Flower color: yellow, ocher
Soil type: any type
Watering: normal
Use: isolated, hedge, container
Diseases and pests: seridium cardinale, armillaria mellea, cinara cupressi
Toxicity: –
Seed conservation: 2 years in a dry place protected from light at 3/4 ° C (refrigerator)
Description:
It is an evergreen tree, of medium size, which often becomes irregular and tabular under the effect of the strong winds which characterize its area of origin. It can grow up to 20 meters tall and its trunk reaches a diameter of 60 cm, rarely a meter or more.
The foliage grows in dense branches, of a brilliant green color. The leaves are in the form of interlocking scales 2 to 5 mm long covering ramules of cylindrical section and not flattened. Young plants, up to a year old, have juvenile needle-shaped leaves 4 to 8 mm long.
The female cones are globose to oblong 20 to 40 mm long, formed 6 to 14 scales, green at first, turning to brown after 20 to 24 months after pollination. The smaller male cones are 3 to 5 mm long and release them in February-March.
The specific name macrocarpa, which means “large-fruited”, refers to the size of the female cones which are the largest found in the genus Cupressus.
This tree is used as an ornamental tree in the garden and as a hedge.
This tree is considered an endangered species and is on the red list of the IUCN – International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
