| General Description | A fast-growing hybrid widely used in many landscape applications. The plant is sterile and can only be propagated from cuttings. It forms a columnar to pyramidal shaped tree with dark green bluish scales. |
| ID Characteristic | Opposite forming, bluish-green scales form distinctive long ascending branches. It has a classic Christmas tree form, with distinctive round black cones that are sharp on the edges. |
| Shape | Forms a loosely compact, pyramidal, somewhat columnar shape but looses form when not pruned. |
| Landscape | Leyland cypress exhibits significantly fast and vigorous growth, even when provided with poor site conditions, making it a good screen, windbreak, and green border tree. It can also be utilized to compensate for the time needed for slower growing plants to reach an aesthetically pleasing size. Also very popular in the urban environment as it is salt tolerant. |
| Propagation | Easily propagates from softwood cuttings. Seeds are rarely produced with those found being generally infertile. Take cuttings from plants 5 years old and no older than 15 years in late May to early August through September from semi-ripe wood. Cuttings also benefit from misting and maintaining a high humid environment (78 %) and bottom heat, as well as wounding and treatment with a rooting hormone. |
| Cultivation | It retains the vigorous growth rate of C. nootkatensis, and poor site tolerances of its other parent, C. macrocarpa. It can tolerate a wide range of conditions including salt, pollution and compaction and does well when planted in a temperate, moist environment. The tree prefers a slightly acidic, semi-clay soil, and can still thrive if even if it is not well drained. |
| Pests | Susceptible to honey fungus and Cercosporidium blight, and Ceridium canker |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Dark brown with slight purple/red tinges and is very thin and week. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Tiny shoots produced at the end of a scale, averaging 1-3 mm, and emerging a dull yellow. |
| Leaf Description | Older leaves are dark green with a blue tinge while young leaves are light green with a slight yellow tinge. The leaves are scale-like and grow to be 3-8 mm in length without pronounced venation: the leaves are alternate and opposite |
| Flower Description | Small, dull and yellow in colour. |
| Fruit Description | Small male globose cones, usually 8 mm in diameter and brownish black in colour with sharp edges but does not produce viable seed. |
| Colour Description | Dark green with a blue tinge but light bright green when younger. The bark is a brownish purple colour. |
| Texture Description | Fine, somewhat smooth and leathery. |