Taxon Report

Hesperocyparis abramsiana (C.B. Wolf) Bartel var. butanoensis (Silba) Bartel & R.P. Adams

Butano Ridge cypress

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Hesperocyparis abramsiana var. butanoensis, commonly known as Butano Ridge cypress, is a perennial evergreen tree in the Cupressaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, and Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 400 to 490 meters. Hesperocyparis abramsiana var. butanoensis is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Hesperocyparis abramsiana (C.B. Wolf) Bartel var. butanoensis (Silba) Bartel & R.P. Adams
Common Name:	Butano Ridge cypress
Family:	Cupressaceae
Element Code:	PGCUP04082
USDA Plants Symbol:	HEABB
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen tree
Blooming Period: Oct	Oct
Elevation:	400-490 (1310-1610)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Sandstone
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G1T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	CE
Fed List:	FT
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2011-12-19

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	1
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	1

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Mateo (SMT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Basin (3712222), Franklin Point (3712223)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	3
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	100 %
Improper burning regime	1	100%
Logging	1	100%
Mining	1	100%

Notes



Known only from Butano Ridge of the Santa Cruz Mtns. Threatened by alteration of fire regimes and recreational activities. See Cupressus abramsiana in The Jepson Manual (1993); USFWS also uses this name. See Journal of the International Conifer Preservation Society 10:1-49 (2003) for original description, Madroño 2(4):189-194 (1952) for distributional information, and Phytologia 91(1):160-185 and 91(2):287-299 (2009) for taxonomic treatments.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2011-12-19

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].