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Northwest Conifers

MacNab Cypress – Hesperocyparis macnabiana Speaker

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USGS Distribution Map

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 (Tree 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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© 2016 Ken Denniston