The Arizona cypress is a North American conifer with a conical crown and bluish foliage, widely used in Spain for hedges and windbreaks.
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Pinophyta |
| Class | Pinopsida |
| Order | Cupressales |
| Family | Cupressaceae |
| Genus | Cupressus |
| Species | Cupressus arizonica |
It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, between 10 and 25 metres tall, with a compact, conical crown. Its foliage, borne on dense little twigs, has a characteristic bluish-green or greyish colour and is scaly to the touch.
Its cones are small, rounded and woody, made up of scales that open to release the seeds when ripe.
It is native to south-western North America, specifically the mountainous and semi-arid areas of the southern United States and northern Mexico. It has been introduced and naturalised in many countries with a Mediterranean climate, including Spain, where it is planted as a windbreak and hedge for its fast growth and drought resistance.
Thanks to its tolerance of drought and poor soils, the Arizona cypress is frequently used in reforestation and agricultural windbreaks, and its bluish varieties have also become popular as an ornamental tree in gardens around the world.
