PINACEAE 



Arizona Cypress 

 Cupressus arizonica Greene 



HABIT. Under favorable conditions a tree 50-60 feet high 

 and 1-2V^ feet in diameter (max. 80 by 4 feet); trunk short, 

 limby, sharply tapering; crown dense, sharply conical. 



LEAVES. Scalelike, pointed, \{^ inch long; silvery gray- 

 green; dying and turning red-brown the second year and falling 

 about 4 years later; commonly without glands or pits on back; 

 giving off a skunklike odor when bruised. 



FLOWERS. Male oblong, yellow; female subglobose. 



FRUIT. M-1 inch in diameter, subglobose, dark red-brown 

 on stout stalks; of 6-8 peltate scales, each with stout, incurved, 

 prominent boss; maturing during second summer and remain- 

 ing on tree many years. Seed: 6-20 on each scale He^Vs inch 

 long, oblong to triangular, deep red-brown; thin, narrow, 

 lateral wings. 



TWIGS. 4-angled, dark gray, loose-scaly bark with smooth, 

 reddish inner bark visible below. Winter buds: minute, in- 

 conspicuous, naked. 



BARK. Loose-scaly on young trunks and branches, showing 

 smooth reddish inner bark below; on old trunks IH inches 

 thick, fibrous, deeply furrowed and ridged, dark red-brown. 



WOOD. Slightly aromatic: durable; heartwood light brown; 

 sapwood straw-colored; soft and light, splitting easily; used 

 locally for fence posts, mine timbers, etc. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Tolerant throughout life; 

 growth slow; trees seldom over 400 years old; reproduction 

 generally scanty, although seed produced every year. 



HABITAT. Transition zone; altitudinal range from 4,500- 

 8,000 feet; best growth on moist, gravelly, north slopes and 

 benches, but hardy on dry, sterile, rocky sites. 



Five similar but unimportant species are native to the Pacific 

 Coast. These are separated in the key on page 99. The distinc- 

 tions between these are minor and it is often diflficult to identify 

 the species. These species, together with the Italian cypress, 

 are commonly planted as ornamentals in warmer sections of the 

 United States. 



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