Gowen Cypress // Bennett Mueller

Gowen Cypress (Cupressus goveniana)         a blog by Bennett Mueller

Description + Ecology       The Gowen Cypress is a relatively small conifer tree endemic to Northern California3,4.  It grows in chaparral (California shrubland), pine stands, and sometimes more sterile environments such as limestone outcroppings and sandy slopes1.  It prefers sunny areas in bare mineral soils. Generally, the trees reach up to 5 to 7 meters, with a spread of 2 to 4 meters.  Bark is a smooth gray-brown, but rougher the older the tree. Leaves are light green and very short. Their seeds are held in small, near spherical, cones.  Each one holds close to 100 dark brown seeds.  Cones release their seeds in the presence of intense heat, meaning that the Gowen Cypress often only reproduce after fires.  The fire changes nutrients in the soil and clears away other vegetation, leaving bare, sunny soil for the new tree to thrive in4. Geography + Population      There are currently less than 2,000 mature Gowen Cypress individuals across 5 locations in and around Monterey County.  Population numbers are still in decline and are regarded by the IUCN as being severely fragmented1. Listing     First listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1998, the Gowen Cypress still only naturally exists at five locations1,3. The California Native Plant Society lists it as rare and endangered4. Threats     The Gowen Cypress is listed because of limited area of occupancy (AOO)1.  Causes for this are likely fire suppression by humans (the tree needs fire to reproduce successfully) and indirect effects of urbanization, such as edge effects1,4.  Other possible causes are pollution; climate change; invasive plants, insects, and diseases; and genetic contamination from other trees.  Urban development has been causing habitat destruction - a significant amount of habitat was removed and replaced by a golf course.  Fire road maintenance also destroys some habitat4. Recovery Plan    Recovery plan from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service4:  -Monitor the existing populations  -Establish burn plan for long-term, or find alternative to burning.  Burns need to happen every 50 to 70 years  -Make deposit in seed bank to ensure an unforeseen event does not cause permanent extinction  -Secure privately owned land with existing populations to better protect them -Manage non-native species  -Encourage research on the species and fire management  -Find other potential habitats that can be used for reestablishment -Public outreach -Inform landowners Your Actions -Respect the habitats you find yourself in -Do not support golf courses and other developments that destroy habitats of the Gowen Cypress -Participate in California Invasive Species Action Week https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Action-Week Citations 1“Cupressus Goveniana Var. Goveniana.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN, 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2016. 2Earle, Chris. “Cupressus Goveniana (Gowen Cpress) Description.” The Gymnosperm Database. 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2016   3“Gowen cypress (Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana).” ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Web. 21 Nov. 2016. 4U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2004. Recovery Plan for Five Plants from Monterey County, California. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. xii + 159 pp.

Gowen Cypress, Morse Botanical Reserve2 map showing locations of various threatened plants in Monterey County, including Cupressus goveniana4 leaves and seeds4 Gowen Cypress, Point Lobos State Park2 cones and leaves on a branch2