Cupressus goveniana

Hesperocyparis goveniana
(Cupressus goveniana)
Gowen cypress
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae
Genus: Cupressus
Species: C. goveniana
Binomial name
Cupressus goveniana
(Gordon) Bartel [2]
Natural range of Hesperocyparis goveniana (sensu stricto)
Synonyms[3]

Cupressus goveniana, now reclassified as Hesperocyparis goveniana,[2][4][5] with the common names Californian cypress[6] and Gowen cypress,[7] is a species of cypress, that is endemic to California.

Distribution

The tree is endemic to the Monterey Peninsula in coastal Monterey County, located on the Central Coast of California, in the Western United States.

The tree is found in small, scattered populations, and not in large forests of its species. Hesperocyparis goveniana occurs with Hesperocyparis macrocarpa (Monterey cypress), in the two groves where the Monterey cypress is known to occur naturally, in Monterey County.[8]

It is on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.[9]

Description

Hesperocyparis goveniana is an evergreen tree with a conic to ovoid-conic crown, very variable in size, with mature trees of under 1 m (3 ft 3 in) on some sites, to 50 m (160 ft) tall in ideal conditions.[4]

The foliage grows in dense sprays, dark green to somewhat yellow-green in color. The leaves are scale-like, 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in) long, and produced on rounded (not flattened) shoots.

The seed cones are globose to oblong, 11–22 mm (0.43–0.87 in) long, with 6 to 10 scales, green at first, maturing brown or gray-brown about 20–24 months after pollination. The cones remain closed for many years, only opening after the parent tree is killed in a wildfire, thereby allowing the seeds to colonize the bare ground exposed by the fire. The male cones are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long, and release pollen in February/March.

Typically, cones of H. goveniana are smaller than those of H. macrocarpa.

Taxonomy

The varieties or subspecies, formerly included under Cupressus goveniana by some botanists, include:

Monterey County, strictly coastal, within 3 km (1.9 mi) of the coast and below 200 m (660 ft) altitude. Foliage dark green, not rough, with leaf tips not spreading; cones globose.
Mendocino and Sonoma counties, coastal, within 10 km (6.2 mi) of the coast and below 500 m (1,600 ft) altitude.[11]
Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, in the Santa Cruz Mountains 10–20 km (6.2–12.4 mi) inland and at 300–760 m (980–2,490 ft) altitude. With yellow–green foliage slightly rough-textured from the acute and slightly spreading leaf tips; cones often oval.[13]

References

  1. ↑ A. Farjon (2011). "Cupressus goveniana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 USDA: Hesperocyparis goveniana
  3. ↑ The Plant List, Cupressus goveniana Gordon
  4. 1 2 Jepson: Hesperocyparis goveniana . accessed 8.28.2015.
  5. ↑ CalFlora: Hesperocyparis goveniana . accessed 8.28.2015.
  6. ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  7. ↑ CalFlora Database: Cupressus goveniana — not an active name; please see Hesperocyparis goveniana . accessed 8.28.2015.
  8. ↑ C. Michael Hogan & Michael P. Frankis (January 27, 2009). "Monterey Cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa". iGoTerra.
  9. ↑ IUCN Red List: Cupressus goveniana (Hesperocyparis goveniana)
  10. ↑ Calflora Database: Hesperocyparis pygmaea
  11. ↑ Gymnosperm Database: C. goveniana var. pygmaea (Hesperocyparis pygmaea)
  12. ↑ CalFlora Database: Hesperocyparis abramsiana
  13. ↑ Gymnosperm Database: C. goveniana var. abramsiana (Hesperocyparis abramsiana)
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