Mexican Cypress, White-Cedar, Cedro Blanco, Cedar of Goa

I've not grown this plant, but I think it is hardier than listed here because I have seen it at a few botanical gardens far north of zone...Read More 9. By far, the most attractive form is 'Glauca Pendula.' The glaucus form may be more winter hardy, as is the case with several other conifers, such as Cunninghamia.
Cupressus Lusitanica Glauca Pendula is rated zone 6 or 7 hardy, which is in line with my observations. I'm not certain if it is hardier than the species or if the species has been overly conservatively rated.

This is a cypress from Mexico and Central America (the specific name "lusitanica" was given because it was cultivated in Portugal by the ...Read Moretime when it was first described. They also thought it came from Goa, India, so the popular name "Cedar of Goa") that survives quite well in warm climates, and is a very popular cypress in Brazil, one of the very few conifers that can grow here in the tropics.

It can grow up to 30 meters high, but here I have only seen plants with 1/3 of that, at most. They are mostly used as hedges, or short trees for small beds and gardens, and often sold as Christmas trees. The branches are cylindrical, covered with small evergreen, scale like, aromatic leaves. The tree shape is typically pyramidal.

The male cones are small, light brown to golden, appearing on the tips of the branches. The female cones are spherical, of the size of a small marble, with 6-8, spiny, green scales. It takes 2 years to finally ripe.