Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta' - Italian Cypress

The Italian Cypress is a narrow, upright, tight growing tree that's been planted in gardens for hundreds of years.  This is a popular cultivar 'Stricta', one of several upright very narrow forms available in the trade. Trees are used to direct the eye in formal landscapes. Trees grow 20-40' tall x 3' wide, narrowing to a point at the top. I have seen them used as hedges, but its a lot of trees and they don't spread very widely, I think I would choose the species for that use. Gilman and Watson called them green telephone poles. I have seen them called Pencil Pines, but I don't think that's a popular common name around here.

Foliage is scale-like, medium green, very small, in pairs, lasting 3 or so years before falling to reveal the brown stem.  The branch sprays are rounded and held upright.

Reproductive structures are stroboli. Male are small, you can see them in the above picture at the tips of some of the branches. Females are also small, as seen below.

Cones are woody, dry, oblong, about an inch, generally not longer, with peltate scales, soccer ball like. Saw a website that called the cones "Ugly Nuts".

The taxonomy on this plant confuses me. Is there really a 'Stricta' cultivar? I have seen 'Glauca' used, and we have a 'Swains Golden' in the backyard of a neighbor but I am not sure what to make of the classic Italian cypress. Cal Poly suggests this is a naturally occurring botanical variety and should be called Cupressus sempervirens var. stricta. 

The specific epithet sempervirens means evergreen. All Cupressus are evergreen. Seems odd.

Misidentifiaction: If you are looking at the plant, not likely to be missed, but if you only have a twig, bummer. Determine it is a Cupressus, most have more or less rounded stems and most have the branchlets radiating out in all directions rather than flattened sprays. Differs from the species by being much more narrow.

Location:
Corralittos
114 Eureka Canyon Rd, as seen in the top picture.

Taxus baccata 'Standishii' - Standishii Yew

This variegated yew (Standishii Yew) is a pretty cool conifer if you like dwarf or variegated conifers. Grows much slower than the Irish Yew (Taxus baccata Fastigata), ultimately reaching 12-15' after many years. This one is over 50 years old and has gained some decent height and girth. Not commonly seen, and not likely to see more planted, yews are slow growing in the nursery and they are costly to buy retail. Often used in landscapes for vertical accents as seen in this image. My guess is there were several plants in the landscape and not just one.

The Standishii yew makes a great hedge or screen.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, linear or needle-like, spirally arranged, about 1" long, and variegated. The variegation may be the whole leaf of just the margins. A bit splotchy but nice.

Grown in the shade or at least on the shady side of the yew, the leaves are green except for yellow margins. These leaves belong to the yews being used as a screen.

This yew is a female cultivar and will produce a structure that looks like a berry, but is really a cone with a fleshy covering called an aril. More or less all parts of the parts are poisonous.

Yews are very easy to prune, they are tolerant of shearing, topiary or hedging.

Misidentification:

Not much around looks like this. Hoping you have more to look at than a twig because there are way more shrubby variegated yews around, but not here in SC.

Location:

Aptos

6500 Soquel Drive, Cabrillo College in the parking lot of the Sesnon House.

420 Semple St, several along the walkway to the house.