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Callitropsis spp.
nootka cypress
Western North America (Alaska to California)
Native to North America
Overview
Callitropsis spp. is a genus of evergreen conifers in the cypress family (Cupressaceae) from western North America, centred on the Nootka or Alaska cypress, Callitropsis nootkatensis. Trees are narrowly conical with drooping branchlets and reach 65-130 feet (20-40 m) tall, occasionally more, with a trunk to 3 feet (0.9 m) across and grey-brown bark that peels in vertical strips. The foliage is made of small, scale-like leaves pressed against flattened to four-sided sprays that hang in flat, limp curtains and carry a sharp scent when crushed. Plants are wind-pollinated; small pollen cones and rounded, fleshy-then-woody seed cones about 0.4 inch (10 mm) wide form on the same tree and ripen in one to two years, each scale bearing a central point. Callitropsis spp. grows in cool, moist mountain forest and coastal slopes, often in deep snow country, and is slow-growing and intolerant of hot, dry, or poorly drained sites. It is the parent, with other genera, of the hybrid Leyland cypress.
Native Range
Callitropsis nootkatensis is native to western North America, along the Pacific coast and coastal mountains from southern Alaska through British Columbia to northern California. It grows in cool, humid montane and subalpine forest, often on moist slopes, bog margins, and ground with reliable winter snow.Suggested Uses
Callitropsis nootkatensis is used as a specimen and screening conifer in cool, moist gardens, and weeping forms are planted for their drooping habit. It serves as a timber tree in its native range, where the wood is used for its durability. Its dislike of heat and drought limits its use to cooler, wetter regions.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height65' - 130'
Width/Spread10' - 25'
Bloom Information
Conifers do not flower. Pollen is released from small cones in spring, and the rounded seed cones ripen from green and fleshy to brown and woody over one to two years. Seed is shed as the cone scales separate in autumn of the second year.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Grey-green to dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight