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Gowen Cypress
Hesperocyparis goveniana
  
1 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Gowen Cypress (Hesperocyparis goveniana) 1 Nurseries Carry This Plant Cupressus goveniana, now reclassified as Hesperocyparis goveniana, with the common names Californian cypress and Gowen cypress, is a species of cypress, that is endemic to California. 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. It is on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. 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. 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:Cupressus goveniana var. goveniana - reclassified as Hesperocyparis goveniana. 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. Cupressus goveniana var. pigmaea, reclassified as Hesperocyparis pygmaea - Mendocino cypress (vulnerable species). Mendocino and Sonoma counties, coastal, within 10 km (6. 2 mi) of the coast and below 500 m (1,600 ft) altitude. Cupressus goveniana var. abramsiana, reclassified as Hesperocyparis abramsiana - Santa Cruz cypress (endangered species). 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.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
82 - 164 ft tall

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Callophrys muiri Image
Muir's Hairstreak Callophrys muiriCallophrys muiri
*
Callophrys gryneus Image
Olive Hairstreak Callophrys gryneusCallophrys gryneus
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana
*
Argyresthia cupressella Image
Cypress Tipminer Argyresthia cupressellaArgyresthia cupressella
*
Digrammia napensis Image
Digrammia napensisDigrammia napensis
*
Eupithecia macrocarpata Image
Eupithecia macrocarpataEupithecia macrocarpata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 1

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Cliffs and steep slopes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 15.8" - 49.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.24" - 0.83", Coldest Month: 41.1" - 51.7", Hottest Month: 58.4" - 76.7", Humidity: 0.01" - 24.89", Elevation: 14" - 2330"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana,Callitropsis goveniana
Common Names: Californian Cypress


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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