Found wild in only 5 small pockets on California’s central coast, the Santa Cruz Cypress (Cupressus abramsiana) is one of the rarest trees in North America, and is protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
A small- to medium-sized evergreen, Santa Cruz Cypress tends to grow in a symmetrical, pyramidal fashion, featuring the signature scale-like needles typical of the Cupressaceae family, which grow in slender, delicate sprays. Similar in appearance to both the Gowen Cypress (Cupressus goveniana) and the Sargent’s Cypress (Cupressus sargentii) — and still at the center of some controversy among taxonomists as to its classification as a separate species — the Santa Cruz Cypress is unquestionably set apart by its ability to grow in nonserpentine soils and the larger size of its cones, which measure up to 1.25 inches-long. Bark is gray, thin, and broken into plates. Usually remaining under 30 feet-tall, this is a great species for smaller gardens and container growing.
