Cupressus macrocarpa

The Monterey cypress is an evergreen, more or less pyramidal in form when young, and broadly domed when mature. It can be up to 25 m tall. It has a thick trunk, broader at the base, with a reddish brown, deeply cracked bark that detaches in strips. The leaves are 1-2 mm long, green to yellowish scales with obtuse apexes. They are tightly adhered around the terminal twigs and overlap like the scales on a fish. The male and female cones tend to be separated on the same plant. The male cones are very small (3-5 mm) and yellow in colour. Once fertilised, the female cones give rise to woody fruits, known as strobilus, similar to pine cones, which are globose and reddish brown when ripe. The fruit and the intense aroma of lemon or mandarins that the leaves and twigs give off when rubbed, differentiates this species from the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). The cones can remain closed on the tree for several years but, when completely developed, their scales separate and release numerous winged seeds that have tiny resin blisters on the surface.