Common Name(s): Smoothbark Arizona Cypress

Synonym(s):

Family: Cupressaceae

Native To: Endemic to central Arizona near the Mogollon Rim, 1100-1700 m (3500-5500 ft) in elevation

Native Habitat: Canyon bottoms

Growth Habit: Tree; up to 70 ft

Flowering:

Distinguishing Characteristics: The cypresses can be told by the small, scale-like, appressed leaves, which often bear glands; these give off a pleasant odor when crushed. The cones distinguish cypresses from junipers; in cypresses, the cones are globose and woody, whereas in junipers the cones are more fleshy (juniper berries!). The Arizona Cypress, to which the Smooth-barked Arizona Cypress is related, is the only other local cypress and has a rough, more typical cypress bark.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: Cypresses are not flowering plants, but conifers, or cone-bearing plants. The family Cupressaceae also includes cedars, bald cypresses, and redwoods, but not pines, firs, or yews. Arizona cypress is found only in protected canyons and is indicative of a healthy riparian community. The variety glabra is peculiar in that it sheds its bark annually, leaving only the smooth red inner bark. This variety only grows in a few places in the Mogollon rim area of central Arizona, where it is the only cypress to be found.

Ethnobotany: Several varieties of the Arizona Cypress are planted as ornamentals, and it is said to be used in land reclamation in France and Northern Africa. The spanish word for cypress, Sabino, is a common location name, including Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains, just northeast of Tucson.

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