MacNab cypress is a rare, shrubby tree that
seldomly grows higher than 50 feet ( 15 meters).
Leaves: The
tiny scaled leaves, which wrap around branchlets, are gray-green with
gland dots that produce a
white resin.
Cones:
Up to 1" (2.5 cm),
round with 6 or 8 scales, each with an erect conic point. The
cones often remain closed until a wildfire releases the seeds.
Bark:
The brown
bark is furrowed on large trunks.
Where
it grows: Foothills
of northern California. Also found at two locations in southwest Oregon
(
on the map). See Cypress Species in Oregon by Frank
Callahan.
MacNab cypress at Hoyt Arboretum
Names:
Named after James MacNab, curator of the Royal Botanic Garden in
Edinburg. Other
names: Shasta cypress. Recently, Taxonomists removed North American
cypresses from the Cupressus genus
and placed them in a new genus, Hesperocyparis.
For more information, see The
Gymnosperm Database.
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