DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Cupressus forbesii | Tecate Cypress 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Tecate cypress is the most widespread of the rare southern California
cypress species [37].  There are about 15 known populations [6,7].
Tecate cypress occurs in four groves in southern California.  Three of
the groves are in San Diego County on Guatay Mountain, Otay Mountain,
and Tecate Peak.  The fourth is on Sierra Peak in the Santa Ana
Mountains of Orange County [2,12,40].  Isolated groves of Tecate cypress
extend about 150 miles (240 km) south into peninsular Baja California [2].
Tecate cypress is cultivated in Hawaii [46].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub


STATES : 
     CA  HI  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
NO-ENTRY


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    3  Southern Pacific Border


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K030  California oakwoods
   K033  Chaparral
   K035  Coastal sagebrush


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   255  California coast live oak


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Tecate cypress is a component of the southern interior cypress forest.
This community is a dense, fire-maintained, low forest that forms
even-aged stands surrounded by a matrix of chaparral [11,15].  In San
Vicente, Mexico, Tecate cypress grows with bishop pine (Pinus muricata)
[22].  Tecate cypress is also associated with closed-cone coniferous
woodlands [30,34].

Publications naming Tecate cypress as a community dominant are listed
below.  

Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of
   California [11]
The closed-cone pines and cypress [39]
Vegetation change in chaparral and desert communities in San Diego
   County, California [42]

Woody species not previously mentioned but commonly associated with
Tecate cypress include California scrub oak (Quercus dumosa), shrub live
oak (Q. turbinella), Eastwood manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa),
bigberry manzanita (A. glauca), Otay manzanita (A. otayensis), mission
manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor), hoaryleaf ceanothus (Ceanothus
crassifolius), wedgeleaf ceanothus (C. cuneatus), cupleaf ceanothus (C.
greggi var. perplexans), woolyleaf ceanothus (C. tomentosus var.
olivaceus), chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), lemonade sumac (Rhus
integrifolia), sugar sumac (R. ovata), laurel sumac (Malosma laurina),
toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), curlleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus
betuloides), California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), rushrose
(Helianthemum scoparium), redberry (Rhamnus crocea), southern bush
monkeyflower (Mimulus longiflorus), Parry nolina (Nolina parryi),
whiteflower currant (Ribes indecorum), San Diego mountain misery
(Chamaebatia australis), hollyleaf cherry (Prunus ilicifolia), wooly
bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum), bushrue (Cneoridium dumosum), black
sage (Salvia mellifera), white sage (S. apiana), fragrant sage (S.
clevelandii), Munz's sage (S. munzii), heart-leaved pitcher sage
(Lepechinia cardiophylla), fragrant pitcher sage (L. fragrans),
chaparral pea (Pickeringia montana ssp. tomentosa), hairy yerba santa
(Eriodictyon trichocalyx), yerba santa (E. crassifolium), tree poppy
(Dendromecon rigida), chaparral yucca (Yucca whipplei), saw-toothed
goldenbush (Hazardia squarrosa), and Mexican flannelbush
(Fremontodendron mexicanum) [1,7,31,39].

Herbaceous species not previously mentioned but commonly associated with
Tecate cypress include eucrypta (Eucrypta micrantha), bluedick (Brodiaea
pulchella), fire poppy (Papaver californicum), Catalina Mariposa lily
(Calochortus catalinae), Dunn's Mariposa lily (C. dunii), scarlet
delphinium (Delphinium cardinale), star flower (Enastrum sapphirinum),
prickly-phlox (Leptodactylon californicum), California buckwheat
(Eriogonum fasciculatum), golden-yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum),
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), intermediate cryptantha
(Cryptantha intermedia), and Fremont deathcamas (Zigadenus fremontii)
[1,7,31,39].

Related categories for Species: Cupressus forbesii | Tecate Cypress