Taxon Report

Hesperocyparis pygmaea (Lemmon) Bartel

pygmy cypress

Print Report


© 2009 Neal Kramer

Taxon Summary

Hesperocyparis pygmaea, commonly known as pygmy cypress, is a perennial evergreen tree in the Cupressaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Closed-cone coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 30 to 600 meters. Hesperocyparis pygmaea is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Hesperocyparis pygmaea (Lemmon) Bartel
Common Name:
 pygmy cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Element Code: PGCUP04032
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:
  • Cupressus pygmaea (Lemmon) Sarg.
  • Cupressus goveniana Gordon ssp. pigmaea (Lemmon) Bartel
  • Callitropsis pygmaea

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: perennial evergreen tree
Blooming Period:
Elevation: 30-600 (100-1970)
General Habitats: Closed-cone coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2
Global Rank: G1
State Rank:
 S1
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 37
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 2
   Good (B) 6
   Fair (C) 7
   Poor (D) 6
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 16

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Mendocino (MEN), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Albion (3912327), Cold Spring (3912315), Elk (3912326), Eureka Hill (3812385), Fort Bragg (3912347), Gualala (3812375), Hales Grove (3912377), Mathison Peak (3912336), Mendocino (3912337), Northspur (3912345), Noyo Hill (3912346), Plantation (3812353), Point Arena (3812386), Saunders Reef (3812376)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 13
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
29 78 %
Road/trail construction/maint. 19 51%
Development 15 40%
Logging 12 32%
ORV activity 7 18%
Wood cutting or brush clearing 6 16%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime 5 13%
Vandalism/dumping/litter 2 5%
Erosion/runoff 2 5%
Foot traffic/trampling 1 2%
Landfill 1 2%
Other 1 2%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 1 2%
Non-native plant impacts 1 2%

Notes
Threatened by development, logging, and vehicles. See Phytologia 70(4):229-230 (1990) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 23 February 2025].