Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
2 ratings

Sunday - January 01, 2012

From: Sedona, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Trees
Title: Mediterranean Pines indigenous to Verde Valley AZ
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Are the tall, thin Mediterranean/Pencil Pines growing in the Verde Valley in Arizona indigenous to the area? They are so plentiful, but are not identified as an indigenous evergreen. If not, how did they become so plentiful?

ANSWER:

Let's begin by establishing what is meant by "indigenous." According to the dictionary we referred to:

Indigenous means: belonging to a certain place.  Indigenous species are those established in a given region, having originated there, or been long settled without human intervention. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Mr. Smarty Plants are dedicated to the growth, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but also to the area in which the plants are growing. There are always arguments about how far back you have to go in botanical history for a plant to be "native" to the place where it is found, but the definition for "indigenous" as being long established in a region without human intervention would seem to cover the situation you are asking about.

Next, we'll try to decide if the Mediterranean Pencil Pine got to the Verde Valley in Arizona without human intervention. We found two members of the Cypress family that are sometimes referred to as pencil pines. Both are part of a group of plants called conifers, which are gymnosperms.

Athrotaxis cupressoides- endemic to Tasmania in Australia, meaning it grows nowhere else in the world naturally

Cupressus sempervirens-The vast majority of the trees in cultivation are selected cultivars with a fastigiate crown, with erect branches forming a narrow to very narrow crown often less than a tenth as wide as the tree is tall. If this is the tree you are seeing, it isn't native to anywhere, since it has been developed into a specific shape and growth pattern by human intervention. This article from Floridata says that it occurs naturally in southern Europe and western Asia.

Our guess is that what you are referring to is the Cupressus sempervirens, or one of the cultivars of that plant. We believe we have established that the trees you are talking about are neither indigenous nor native to Coconino nor Yavapai counties in Central Arizona. The reason there are so many of them is that they can survive in the Arizona climate, grow tall and thin for privacy purposes and are no doubt vigorously marketed by area nurseries.

Pictures

 

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Keeping non-native invasive bermudagrass out of yard in Austin
May 30, 2012 - My neighbor just sodded a huge lawn with Bermuda Celebration. I don't want it coming into my St. Augustine. From what I've read on your site and others, I need a deep barrier. Has anyone tried pu...
view the full question and answer

Infestation of flies around euonymus in summer
March 02, 2008 - I have 3 shrubs planted in my backyard. I think they are a type of euonymus (but I'm not sure). My question is why do they attract huge nasty flies. The first year we had them they didn't. But the l...
view the full question and answer

Changing color of non-native crape myrtles
August 02, 2008 - How do you change the color of a bloom on a crape myrtle tree?
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native citrus trees from Mesa AZ
January 13, 2014 - We have one valencia orange tree and one naval orange tree in our Mesa, AZ yard. Just noticed some oranges on both trees have a 1/4 inch diameter hole through the skin and the orange fruit and skin a...
view the full question and answer

Question about non-native blue potato tree
July 08, 2008 - I have a blue potato tree that I planted last summer, the top looks dead but isn't, the bottom has grown into a bush, help what can I do?
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.