BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Cupressus sargentii | Sargent Cypress 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sargent cypress is a native, evergreen tree with a slender main trunk.
On exposed sites, it assumes a shrubby growth form [4,23].  It normally
grows from 33 to 50 feet (10-15 m) tall, but in mesic canyons of
northern and central California it can grow up to 75 feet (22.5 m) tall
[4,15,23].  Mature leaves are 0.08 inch (2 mm) long, although they can
be up to 0.4 inch (10 mm) on vigorous shoots [4,23].  Ovulate cones are
solitary, up to 1.0 inch (25 mm) long.  Staminate cones are 0.12 to 0.16
inch (3-4 mm) long [11,23].  The bark is furrowed and fibrous, 1.2
inches (3 cm) thick, splitting into longitudinal strands [4,23,30].  A
well-defined taproot and numerous laterals are formed the first year
[15,30].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sargent cypress reproduces exclusively from seed.  Cone production is
abundant.  Staminate cones are produced on trees that are 6 to 7 years
old [30].  Ovulate cones are produced on trees that are 5 to 6 years of
age or older [4,29,30].  The cones require 2 years to mature [4].  They
contain about 100 seeds each [4,23].  Cypress cones are closed; they
persist on the tree until opened by the heat of a fire or from
desiccation due to age [15,29].  Seeds are shed gradually over several
months after the cones are opened [29].  Detached cones will open, but
they rarely result in seedling establishment, usually due to lack of a
suitable seedbed [4].  Seed dispersal is primarily by wind and rain
[29].

Cypress seeds require bare mineral soil for germination and
establishment.  Seedling mortality is high on shaded sites with
abundant litter because of damping-off fungi [4,29].  Seedlings are
sensitive to excessive moisture [30].  


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Sargent cypress most often occupies rocky outcrops or formations,
usually in serpentine soils [3,4,22,29].  Soils are usually well-drained
and less than 1 foot (0.30 m) deep [22].  Sargent cypress is commonly
found on dry slopes, exposed hillsides, and ridgetops, but also grows
along streambanks, creek bottoms, and lower canyon slopes [22,29].
Sargent cypress occurs at elevations from 660 to 3,300 feet (200-1,000
m) [11,30,31].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Site requirements for cypress seedlings are typical of those for pioneer
conifers.  Seedlings are shade intolerant and survive best in full
sunlight on bare mineral soil [4,29].  Most chaparral species inhibit
the establishment of cypress seedlings on most sites due to competition.
However, most chaparral species are less able to compete on serpentine
soils where Sargent cypress is often found.  Sargent cypress is favored
over nonserpentine-adapted chaparral species on these sites [4].

On Red Mountain in Mendocino County, California, there exists a
pine-cypress climax community on serpentine soil.  An abrupt boundary
with more typical Douglas-fir-hardwood forest exists on adjacent soils
derived from sedimentary rock.  It is hypothesized that the climax
vegetation would be different on these adjacent sites if the parent
material was derived from peridotite instead of sedimentary rock [33].



SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Cypress pollination occurs in late fall and spring [30].  Seeds mature
15 to 18 months after pollination.  Ovulate cones remain closed until
opened by heat or age [15,30].  

Related categories for Species: Cupressus sargentii | Sargent Cypress