Hesperocyparis arizonica

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Hesperocyparis arizonica
Hesperocyparis arizonica - Cricket Raspet 01.jpg
Hesperocyparis arizonica (Arizona cypress) foliage and cone
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Cupressales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Hesperocyparis
Species:
H. arizonica
Binomial name
Hesperocyparis arizonica
(Greene) Bartel
Cupressus arizonica range map 1.png
Natural range of Hesperocyparis arizonica
Synonyms [3]
List
    • Callitropsis arizonica (Greene) D.P.Little
    • Cupressus arizonica Greene
    • Cupressus arizonica var. bonita Lemmon
    • Cupressus arizonica var. compacta C.K.Schneid.
    • Cupressus arizonica f. compacta (C.K.Schneid.) Rehder
    • Cupressus arizonica glauca Woodall
    • Cupressus arizonica f. glauca (Woodall) Rehder
    • Cupressus arizonica f. glomerata Martínez
    • Cupressus arizonica f. minor Martínez
    • Cupressus arizonica f. typica Martínez
    • Cupressus benthamii var. arizonica (Greene) Mast.
    • Cupressus lusitanica subsp. arizonica (Greene) Maire
    • Neocupressus arizonica (Greene) de Laub.

Hesperocyparis arizonica, the Arizona cypress, is a North American species of tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. Populations may be scattered rather than in large, dense stands.

Contents

Description

Hesperocyparis arizonica tree in Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona Hesperocyparis arizonica - CK Kelly 01.jpg
Hesperocyparis arizonica tree in Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

Hesperocyparis arizonica is a coniferous evergreen tree with a conic to ovoid-conic crown. It grows to heights of 10–25 m (33–82 ft), and its trunk diameter reaches 55 cm (22 in). The foliage grows in dense sprays, varying from dull gray-green to bright glaucous blue-green. The leaves are scale-like, 2–5 mm long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots. The seed cones are globose to oblong, 15–33 mm long, with 6 or 8 (rarely 4 or 10) scales, green at first, maturing gray or gray-brown about 20–24 months after pollination. The cones remain closed for many years, only opening after the bearing branch is killed (in a wildfire or otherwise), allowing the seeds to colonize the bare ground exposed by the fire. The male cones are 3–5 mm long, and release pollen in February–March. [4]

Taxonomy

Hesperocyparis arizonica was given its first scientific name and described by Edward Lee Greene in 1882 as Cupressus arizonica, placing it in genus Cupressus . [3] [5] This description was soon after disputed by Maxwell T. Masters who, in 1896, published a journal article where he said it should be considered a subspecies of Cupressus benthamii with the variety name of arizonica. [3] A similar classification reducing it to a subspecies as Cupressus lusitanica subsp. arizonica was posthumously published by René Maire in 1952. [3] There also have been publications that suggested moving it as a species to a different genus such as Callitropsis in 2006 and a new genus, Neocupressus, in 2009. [3]

As of 2024 Plants of the World Online (POWO), World Flora Online (WFO), and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS database (PLANTS) list H. arizonica as the correct species name. [3] [6] [7] This classification was published by Jim A. Bartel in 2009. [3] However, Cupressus continues to be used in professional papers by some scientists. [8] [9]

Other disagreements have been over the validity of various subspecies of H. arizonica. A total of eleven have been validly published. However seven of these are listed as synonyms by POWO and WFO as of 2024. [3] [6] The remaining four are listed as separate species:

Distribution

Hesperocyparis arizonica is found mainly in northern Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. It is also found in small areas of the southwestern United States in the southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. In the US it is found between 1000 and 1500 meters in elevation while in Mexico it reaches as high as 2200 meters in some forests. [14] [3] In the wild, the species is often found in small, scattered populations, not necessarily in large forests. An example occurrence is within the Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests of Mexico, [15] where it is found along with canyon live oak and California fan palm.

Uses

Arizona cypress is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree. Unlike Monterey cypress, it has proved highly resistant to cypress canker, caused by the fungus Seiridium cardinale, and growth is reliable where this disease is prevalent.

The cultivar 'Pyramidalis' [16] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017). [17]

Example of neoendemism and conservation challenges

The ease of hybridization of western cypress species in the American southwest has fostered a parallel history of taxonomic disagreements of where genus and species distinctions should apply. [18] It thus provides a case study of neoendemism in conifers. Close taxonomic relatedness, in turn, offers both challenges and opportunities if and when assisted migration is considered as a mode of climate adaptation to prevent extinctions of endemic cypresses in the American southwest. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cupressus</i> Several genera of evergreen conifers

Cupressus is one of several genera of evergreen conifers within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress. It is considered a polyphyletic group. Based on genetic and morphological analysis, the genus Cupressus is found in the subfamily Cupressoideae. The common name "cypress" comes via the Old French cipres from the Latin cyparissus, which is the latinisation of the Greek κυπάρισσος (kypárissos).

<i>Hesperocyparis macrocarpa</i> Species of conifer

Hesperocyparis macrocarpa also known as Cupressus macrocarpa, or the Monterey cypress is a coniferous tree, and is one of several species of cypress trees endemic to California.

<i>Xanthocyparis</i> Genus of conifers in the family Cupressaceae

Xanthocyparis is a genus of cypresses in the family Cupressaceae. As of August 2021, it has only one species, Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, native to Vietnam and southeast China. It is commonly known as the Vietnamese golden cypress. The Nootka cypress, Cupressus nootkatensis or Callitropsis nootkatensis, was also placed in the genus, but this has been rejected.

<i>Hesperocyparis bakeri</i> Western North American species of conifer

Hesperocyparis bakeri, previously known Cupressus bakeri, with the common names Baker cypress, Modoc cypress, or Siskiyou cypress, is a rare species of western cypress tree endemic to a small area across far northern California and extreme southwestern Oregon, in the western United States.

<i>Hesperocyparis goveniana</i> Californian species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis goveniana commonly known as Californian cypress and Gowen cypress, is a species of western cypress that is endemic to a small area of coastal California near Monterey. It was formerly classified as Cupressus goveniana.

<i>Hesperocyparis pygmaea</i> Californian species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis pygmaea, the Mendocino cypress or pygmy cypress, is a taxon of disputed status in the western cypress genus. It is endemic to certain coastal terraces and coastal mountain ranges of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in northwestern California. It is a variable tree, and closely related to Hesperocyparis abramsiana and Hesperocyparis goveniana, enough to sometimes be considered conspecific with them.

<i>Hesperocyparis guadalupensis</i> Island endemic species of western cypress tree

Hesperocyparis guadalupensis, commonly known as Guadalupe cypress, is a species of western cypress from Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean off the western coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. It was previously known as Cupressus guadalupensis until 2009. It is a medium sized tree with fine green to blue-green foliage. In its native habitat it depends on water from the fogs that envelop the high northern half of the island. It became an endangered species due to feral goats living on Guadalupe Island that prevented new trees from growing for more than a century. In 2005 the goats were finally removed from its island home as part of an island restoration project. New trees are growing and other plants are beginning to recover though the future of the species is not yet assured. Guadalupe cypress is closely related to the vulnerable Tecate cypress which grows on the mainland in Baja California and southern California. It is used as an ornamental tree in Mediterranean climates, particularly in Europe, but has no significant human uses.

<i>Monardella</i> Genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae

Monardella is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for herbal teas. The two-lipped, tubular flowers are formed in terminal clusters and are most usually red, pink, or purple.

<i>Hesperocyparis abramsiana</i> Californian species of western cypress

The Santa Cruz cypress is a species of North American tree within the cypress family. The species is endemic to the Santa Cruz Mountains within the Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties of west-central California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species on the Endangered Species Act in 1987 due to increasing threats from habitat loss and disruption of natural forest fire regimes. In 2016, the conservation status of the Santa Cruz cypress changed to Threatened. The cited reasoning was a decrease in threats against their habitat.

<i>Hesperocyparis lusitanica</i> Central American and Mexican species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis lusitanica, the Mexican cypress, cedar-of-Goa or Goa cedar, is a species of cypress native to Mexico and Central America. It has also been introduced to Belize, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, growing at 1,200–3,000 metres (3,900–9,800 ft) altitude.

<i>Hesperocyparis macnabiana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family

Hesperocyparis macnabiana is a species of western cypress in from California that was previously named Cupressus macnabiana.

<i>Hesperocyparis sargentii</i> Californian species of western cypress tree

Hesperocyparis sargentii is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae known by the common name Sargent's cypress. It is endemic to California, where it is known from Mendocino County southwards to Santa Barbara County. This taxon is limited to the Coast Range mountains. It grows in forests with other conifers, as well as chaparral and other local mountain habitat, usually in pure stands on serpentine soils. It generally grows 10 to 15 meters tall, but it is known to exceed 22 meters. On Carson Ridge in Marin County, as well as Hood Mountain in Sonoma County, the species comprises a pygmy forest of trees which do not attain heights greater than 240–360 cm due to high mineral concentrations in the serpentine soil.

<i>Hesperocyparis forbesii</i> Western North American species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis forbesii, with the common names Tecate cypress or Forbes' cypress, is a nonflowering, seed bearing tree species of western cypress native to southwestern North America in California and Baja California. It was formerly known as Cupressus forbesii.

<i>Hesperocyparis stephensonii</i> Californian species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis stephensonii is a species of western cypress known as the Cuyamaca cypress that is found only in two very small areas in Southern California and northwestern Baja California.

<i>Hesperocyparis glabra</i> Species of conifer

Hesperocyparis glabra, known as the Arizona smooth bark cypress or smooth Arizona cypress, is a conifer native to the American Southwest, with a range stretching over the canyons and slopes in a somewhat wide vicinity around Sedona, Arizona. It is distinguished from Hesperocyparis arizonica by its very smooth, non-furrowed bark which can appear in shades of pink, cherry, and grey.

<i>Hesperocyparis nevadensis</i> Californian species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis nevadensis is a species of western cypress tree with the common name Paiute cypress native to a small area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in the western United States. It was formerly known as Cupressus nevadensis.

<i>Hesperocyparis</i> Genus of conifers

Hesperocyparis is a genus of trees in the family Cupressaceae, containing North American species otherwise assigned to the genus Cupressus. They are found throughout western North America. Only a few species have wide ranges, with most being restricted-range endemics.

<i>Hesperocyparis benthamii</i> Mexican species of western cypress

Hesperocyparis benthamii is a species of western cypress native to Mexico.

<i>Hesperocyparis montana</i> Species of conifer

Hesperocyparis montana, commonly known as the San Pedro Mártir cypress or San Pedro cypress, is a species of conifer. It is a tree native to the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir of Baja California state in northwestern Mexico.

<i>Hesperocyparis revealiana</i> Species of conifer

Hesperocyparis revealiana is a rare Mexican species of conifer in the cypress family, is endemic to a small area of the State of Baja California in northwestern Mexico.

References

  1. Farjon, A. (2013). "Cupressus arizonica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T42216A2962318. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42216A2962318.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. NatureServe (2024). "Cupressus arizonica". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Hesperocyparis arizonica (Greene) Bartel". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. Eckenwalder, James E. (1993). "Cupressus arizonica". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  5. Greene, Edward Lee (May 1882). "New Western Plants". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. New York: Torrey Botanical Club. 9 (5): 64–65. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Hesperocyparis arizonica (Greene) Bartel". World Flora Online . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. Hesperocyparis arizonica, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Profile, 13 February 2024
  8. Michalet, Richard; Carcaillet, Christopher; Delerue, Florian; Domec, Jean-Christophe; Lenoir, Jonathan (19 December 2023). "Assisted migration in a warmer and drier climate: less climate buffering capacity, less facilitation and more fires at temperate latitudes?". Oikos. doi:10.1111/oik.10248. S2CID   266410521 . Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  9. Raddi, Paolo; Della Rocca, Gianni; Danti, Roberto (8 January 2020). "Cupressus glabra". In Stimm, B.; Roloff, A.; Lang, U.M.; Weisgerber, H. (eds.). Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse: Handbuch und Atlas der Dendrologie /begründet von Peter Schütt. Andreas Roloff; Horst Weisgerber; Ulla M. Lang; Bernd Stimm. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. ISBN   9783527321414.
  10. "Hesperocyparis glabra (Sudw.) Bartel". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  11. "Hesperocyparis montana (Wiggins) Bartel". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  12. "Hesperocyparis nevadensis (Abrams) Bartel". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  13. "Hesperocyparis stephensonii (C.B.Wolf) Bartel". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  14. Earle, Christopher J. (3 March 2023). "Cupressus arizonica (Arizona cypress) description". The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  15. National Geographic 2001.
  16. "RHS Plant Selector – Cupressus arizonica 'Blue Ice'" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  17. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 26. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  18. Rehfeldt, Gerald E (1997). "Quantitative analyses of the genetic structure of closely related conifers with disparate distributions and demographics: the Cupressus arizonica (Cupressaceae) complex". American Journal of Botany. 84 (2): 190–200. doi:10.2307/2446080. JSTOR   2446080. PMID   21712198.
  19. Barlow, Connie. "Climate, Trees, and Legacy: 04 - Lessons of Arizona Cypress". youtube. ghostsofevolution. Retrieved 14 December 2022.

Further reading