Image: Cupressus stephensonii range map 4

Description: Cupressus stephensonii C.B.Wolf (syn C. arizonica var. stephensonii [C.B.Wolf] Little) — Cuyamaca cypress. (The red circle indicates an extinct population.) Local ranchers knew of cypresses in the King Creek region of Cuyamaca Peak in San Diego County as early as 1900 (Wolf 1948). Later J. Bert Stephenson, the Descanso District Ranger, became interested in these trees and distributed specimens to several herbaria. Wolf described the cypresses as a new species in 1948. The type locality on upper King Creek is still the only known stand of this species. Thus, this cypress has the most restricted range of any tree in California. Fires which swept the Cuyamaca region in 1950 and 1970 further reduced the size of this single population. The young cypresses are scattered within chaparral at the 4,000-foot level. Many references to this cypress have been vague about whether the grove was in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park or in the adjacent Cleveland National Forest. Apparently the species grows in both, with the larger portion of the existent population on the National Forest (Little 1970). Cuyamaca cypress, like Piute cypress, is closely related to Arizona cypress. Little (1966b) recognized both as varieties of Arizona cypress. The Cuyamaca cypress grove is only about 6 miles from the Guatay locality of the unrelated Tecate cypress.
Title: Cupressus stephensonii range map 4
Credit: The distribution of forest trees in California. Berkeley: U.S.D.A. Forest Service. 1972 (modified by the uploader for clarity)
Author: James R. Griffin & William B. Critchfield.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No