Calocedrus decurrens

Bastard cedar

Family: Cupressaceae · Type: tree · Native

Bastard cedar is a native tree found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Modoc Plateau in mixed-evergreen and yellow-pine forests at elevations of 350 to 2,500 meters. Producing light yellow pollen cones and light red-brown seed cones in the fall, this majestic conifer displays distinctive characteristics. Growing to an impressive height of 20 to 69 meters with a trunk up to 4 meters in diameter, it features a wide base and down-curved lower branches covered in thick, fibrous cinnamon-red bark. Its small leaves measure 3 to 10 millimeters long, complementing the tree's distinctive architectural form. The tree's seeds, ranging from 14 to 25 millimeters long including their wing, mature in yellow to red-brown tones during the autumn season.

Habitat: Common. Mixed-evergreen, yellow-pine forests

Elevation: 350-2500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaR, SN, SCoR, TR, PR, MP

California counties: Mendocino, Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Lake, Riverside, El Dorado, San Benito, Napa, Fresno, Del Norte, Lassen, Monterey, Kern, Madera, Butte, Placer, Mariposa, Plumas, Inyo, Modoc, Orange, Ventura, Tulare, Siskiyou, San Diego, Tuolumne, Sierra, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Nevada, Calaveras, Santa Barbara, Amador, San Mateo, Shasta, Tehama, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Alameda, San Luis Obispo, Yuba, Colusa, Santa Clara, Glenn, Yolo, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.