Common names: Monterey Cypress or Macrocarpa 

Irish name: Cufróg Monterey 

Latin name: Cupressus macrocarpa or Hesperocyparis macrocarpa 

Family: Cupressaceae 

Origin: Non-native 

Tree type: Evergreen conifer

How it looks

This is a medium to large evergreen conifer. It is pyramid in shape when young, becoming domed and spreading as it matures. It is one of the most widely planted conifers in the world.

Bark

The bark is reddish brown and fibrous, ridging and becoming scaly with maturity. 

Leaves

It has small scale like leaves which occur in dense sprays. They are lemon scented when crushed. Its branchlets arranged irregularly. 

Cones

Monterey Cypress is monoecious. It produces separate male and female cones in late winter/early spring. The male cones are yellow and the female cones begin a bluish green. The female cones develop into a spherical shape with 6 to 14 scales and turn brown. These take 18 months or more to ripen. 

Known for its adaptation to fire, it has serotinous cones. However, compared to other California cypress species, serotiny in Monterey cypress is less pronounced, likely because intense crown fires are less frequent in its coastal habitat. Despite this, Monterey cypress can still establish seedlings with or without fire, although fire does create the most favourable conditions for regeneration. 

Similar species

Pinus radiata

Where to find it

It is native to the Monterey Peninsula in California but quite rare in the wild. It is extremely resistant to wind and sea salt and therefore grows happiest along the coast. It can often be found growing naturally alongside the Monterey Pine. 

Cultural importance

History | Art and Literature

History 

The stand of Monterey Cypress trees at Lobos Point on the Monterey Peninsula is thought to be a site of spiritual sustenance and ceremony for the Indigenous Ohlone Costanoan Esselen people. Furthermore, ethnobotanical research from the 1930s demonstrates that the Ohlone traditionally used the foliage of the tree to make a remedy for rheumatic conditions. 

The Monterey Cypress was introduced to Britain in 1838 and from there to Ireland. It was planted as an ornamental tree on landed estates such as Powerscourt, County Wicklow and Woodstock, County Kilkenny where some beautiful specimens may still be found. Due to its popularity as a hedging plant, it was widely planted in churchyards, parks and gardens in both the UK and Ireland. 

Monterey Cypress was also widely planted in, Victoria, Australia and was once of the main trees planted in remembrance of fallen soldiers after the Boer, First and Second World Wars. As a result, thousands of Monterey Cypresses have been planted there in their honour.   

Perhaps one of the most famous examples in the world is the tree known as ‘The Lone Cypress’, a single veteran Monterey Cypress, almost 300 years old, that stands on a headland overlooking Carmel Bay, California. The tree has become an iconic symbol of the area, being the subject of many paintings and photos. Indeed, it has been suggested that it is the most photographed tree in the world. As local gallery owner, David Potigian, put it, ‘This tree is to the Monterey Peninsula what the pyramids are to Egypt, what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris’. The tree was saved from an arson attack in 1984 and as a result has become even more of a symbol of resilience to those that visit it.

Art and Literature 

Monterey Cypresses on the Monterey Peninsula have been painted and photographed by many artists, such as Raymond Dabb Yelland, M. Evelyn McCormack, Henrietta Shore, Francis McComas, Van Megert and Joann Dost. The Monterey Cypress became a motif for many 20th century landscape painters and as such influenced the development of the famous Hudson River School, America’s first significant artistic movement. 

In literature, the Monterey Cypress inspired Robinson Jeffers’ poem, Granite and Cypress where he describes the Monterey Cypress saplings he planted. Furthermore, the truffalo trees that feature in Dr Seuss’ story, The Lorax, were modelled on a specific Monterey cypress in La Jolla, California’s Ellen Browning Scripps Park, which fell in 2019. 

Value to wildlife

Small mammals and deer consume the cypress seedlings. 

Threats

Monterey Cypress is under threat in its own region. It naturally occurs close to recreational areas that have supressed natural fires which are necessary to maintain the habitat for this species. If planted away from cool coastal breezes, it is more susceptible to fungal diseases which can kill the tree.   

Uses

It is a very popular ornamental tree in the US, Europe and New Zealand. It is often planted as hedging or as a shelter belt but can get extremely tall.   It is perhaps best known as being one of the parents of the infamous Leyland cypress or Leylandii.

References

All Poetry. N.d. Granite And Cypress by Robinson Jeffers, All Poetry Website. Granite And Cypress by Robinson Jeffers - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry 

Bocek, B.R. 1984. Ethnobotany of costanoan Indians, California, based on collections by John P. Harrington. Economic Botany, 38(2), pp.240-255. 

Brown, E. N. 2019. The Cypress That May Have Inspired Dr. Seuss’s ‘The Lorax’ Has Toppled Down, Atlas Obscura. The Cypress That May Have Inspired Dr. Seuss's 'The Lorax' Has Toppled Down - Atlas Obscura 

Cypress Lawn Heritage Museum. 2024. February’s Tree of the Month: Monterey Cypress, Cypress Lawn Heritage Museum. February’s Tree of the Month: Monterey Cypress - Cypress Lawn Heritage Museum (cypresslawnheritagefoundation.org) 

Ferrell, D. 2002. Lone Cypress Poses Proudly for Generations, Los Angeles Times. Lone Cypress Poses Proudly for Generations - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) 

Reynolds, C. 2013. Standing before the Lone Cypress, Los Angeles Times. Standing before the Lone Cypress - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) 

Wagner Weick, C. 2024. The Monterey Cypress: Contributing to the Beauty of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Magazine, Summer. The Monterey Cypress – Carmel Magazine 

Warner, D. 2006. When trees become a forest, Irish Examiner. When trees become a forest (irishexaminer.com) 

Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum. N.d. Monterey Cypress (Cupressus Macrocarpaq), Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum Website. Monterey Cypress (Cupressus Macrocarpaq) - Woodstock House & Gardens