Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica)
The Arizona cypress is a steeple shaped tree with a pale-green to gray-green color. The leaves are extremely tiny and quite plentiful. They lay close to the branchlet surface in a scale like arrangement and are about 0.1 inches long. The bark is thin and delicate with a reddish brown color. It splits into strips along the length of the tree. The cones are spherical in shape and woody. They mature in two years. Tiny yellow flowers are visible in the fall of the year. The Arizona cypress has a pleasing aroma.
Arizona Cypress Choices
There are about 30 cultivars of Arizona cypress. Although most of these cultivars have come from Australia and New Zealand. The most commercially significant one is Carolina Sapphire. Other cultivars used as Christmas trees include Clemson Greenspire, Blue Pyramid (aka Blue Ice), and Silver Smoke.