Cupressus goveniana Gordon var. abramsiana (C. B. Wolf) Little

Tree: evergreen; erect; 18 m maximum height; monoecious. Trunk: 0.5 m maximum diameter. Bark: grey, or brown; furrowed. Crown: dense; widely conical (pyramidal). Branches: ascending, or horizontal. Ultimate branchlets: 1.1–1.5 mm wide; 10.1–15 mm long; arranged 3-dimensionally; roundish or quadrangular in cross-section.

 

Leaves: only adult leaves on adult plants; scaly. Scale leaves: 1–2 mm long; 1–1.7 mm wide; arranged oppositely; bright green; closely appressed; only one type of leaves (no differentiation in lateral and facial leaves = monomorphic); tip blunt, or acute; with inconspicuous or without glands; without white resin; dorsal side rounded; tip curved inwards.

 

Male cones: 3–4 mm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; solitary, or several together; 10–16 male cone scales; 5–8 male cone scale whorls; oblong; yellow or bright brown. Male cone scales: arranged oppositely; 1–6 pollen sacs per male cone scale.

 

Female cones: 20–30 mm long; 10–20 mm wide; 8–10 cone scales; ovoid, or globose; cone-like (open after maturity); woody; not disintegrating after maturity; bright, or dark; young cones greenish. Female cone scales: arranged oppositely; inserted on different levels in mature cones; without several small additional cone scales on the female cone; tip blunt; with small or large dorsal umbo; umbo more or less in the centre. Columella: absent.

 

Seeds: 3–5 mm long; 3–6 mm wide; 60–120 seeds per cone; dark brown – black; 10–12 seeds per female cone scale; flattened; not tubercled, or tubercled; with conspicuous hilum. Seed wings: 0–1 mm wide; 2 (almost) equal wings.

 

Supplement: maturity in the second year; 3–5 cotyledones; 22 chromosomes (2n). Cultivation: not cultivated in Germany. Distribution: North America: USA. IUCN Red List: endangered. Synonym: Cupressus abramsiana C. B. Wolf [1948]. Common names: Californian Cypress (ENG), Gowan Cypress (ENG), Santa Cruz Cypress (ENG), Santa Cruz-Zypresse (GER).