Italian cypress or Monterey cypress: how to tell them apart?
Italian cypress and Monterey cypress look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Italian cypress
Cupressus sempervirens
Monterey cypress
Cupressus macrocarpa
The Monterey cypress has a broader, conical outline with light green to golden foliage, whereas the Italian cypress is recognised by its narrow flame-shaped outline and dark green foliage.
🍃 Leaves
Tiny dark green scales pressed tightly on fine shoots
Foliage of tightly packed scales, aromatic when crushed (lemon scent), bright green or vivid golden in the cultivar 'Goldcrest'
🌸 Flowers
Small yellowish male cones at the tips of the shoots
Inconspicuous yellowish male cones at the tips of the shoots in the depths of winter
🍎 Fruits
Small round woody cones, grey-brown
Rounded woody cones 2-3 cm across, with bumpy scales, green then greyish-brown when ripe
🪵 Bark
Grey-brown, finely fibrous
Reddish-brown bark that cracks into broad longitudinal plates with age
📏 Size
15 to 25 m tall
Up to 20-25 m as a mature specimen in the open, often kept at 1-3 m in a pot or clipped hedge
🗺️ Habitat
Widely planted in Provence, windbreak hedges
Planted as a specimen, as a windbreak hedge or as a small potted plant (cultivar 'Goldcrest') in gardens and garden centres throughout France
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity; allergenic pollen
Not notably toxic
🔎 And from the Monterey cypress side
The Italian cypress has an easily recognised narrow flame-shaped outline and dark green foliage, whereas the Monterey cypress keeps a broader, conical outline with light green to golden foliage.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.