Skip to content
Conifer · Cupressaceae Draft — unreviewed

Arizona cypress

Cupressus arizonica Greene

Synonyms: Hesperocyparis arizonica.

Silver-blue, heat- and drought-tolerant cypress for screens and windbreaks. Selections such as 'Carolina Sapphire' are also grown in the Southeast.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 9–12 m (30–39 ft) tall and 4–6 m (13–20 ft) wide; medium growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #15 install size.

0510mPlanting1.8 × 0.9 mYear 36.4 × 3.1 mYear 109.8 × 4.7 mMature10.5 × 5.0 m

Design notes

  • Needs sharp drainage; root rot in heavy, irrigated clay.
  • Fairly short-lived in humid climates.

Regions

Native range: Mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and northern Mexico.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southwest

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

White fir
Abies concolor · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Pinyon pine
Pinus edulis · Conifer · 5–10 m (16–33 ft)
Yoshino Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino' · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana · Conifer · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Dwarf Alberta spruce
Picea glauca 'Conica' · Conifer · 2–4 m (7–13 ft)

Plan with Arizona cypress

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden