Taxon Report
Hesperocyparis abramsiana (C.B. Wolf) Bartel var. abramsianaSanta Cruz cypress |
 © 2012 Neal Kramer |
Taxon Summary
Hesperocyparis abramsiana var. abramsiana, commonly known as Santa Cruz 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 280 to 800 meters. Hesperocyparis abramsiana var. abramsiana is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Hesperocyparis abramsiana (C.B. Wolf) Bartel var. abramsiana |
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Common Name: |
Santa Cruz cypress |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Element Code: | PGCUP04081 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | HEABA |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial evergreen tree |
| Blooming Period: | |
| Elevation: | 280-800 (920-2625) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Lower montane coniferous forest |
| Microhabitat: | Granitic (sometimes), Sandstone (sometimes) |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 1B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G1T1 |
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State Rank: |
S1 |
| State List: | CE |
| Fed List: | FT |
| Other Status: | SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCSC |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 7 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 3 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 1 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 3 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Santa Cruz (SCR) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Big Basin (3712222), Davenport (3712212), Felton (3712211) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 13 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 5 | 71 % | |
| Logging | 4 | 57% |
| Non-native plant impacts | 3 | 42% |
| Development | 3 | 42% |
| Improper burning regime | 3 | 42% |
| Wood cutting or brush clearing | 2 | 28% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 2 | 28% |
| Hybridization | 2 | 28% |
| Other | 2 | 28% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 1 | 14% |
| ORV activity | 1 | 14% |
| Agriculture | 1 | 14% |
| Erosion/runoff | 1 | 14% |
| Vandalism/dumping/litter | 1 | 14% |
Notes
| Known only from the Santa Cruz Mtns. Threatened by development, agriculture, alteration of fire regimes, and introgression from planted H. macrocarpa and H glabra. See Cupressus abramsiana in The Jepson Manual (1993); USFWS also uses this name. See Aliso 1:215-222 (1948) 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. |
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 25 October 2025].