Mediterranean cypress Cupressus sempervirens

The Mediterranean cypress is planted throughout the world for its slim upright appearance but only really thrives wherever it is dry in the summer and mild in the winter. It also produces long-lasting timber and was once used to make the doors of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

As its name suggests, the Mediterranean cypress is largely native around the Mediterranean Sea. It can be found as far north as Switzerland, south to Libya and east to Iran and most places in between. Peculiarly it is also known as the Italian cypress despite not being native to Italy. It has been extensively cultivated there as it has been in many locations around the world.

Ideally suited to climates with hot, dry summers and wet, mild winters, Cupressus sempervirens is sufficiently adaptable to grow, if not thrive, in most conditions. Its slim upright form lends itself perfectly to being planted in gardens and lining avenues and it has been successfully grown in locations as disparate as South Africa, New Zealand, California and Britain. It is not known exactly when it first reached British shores but it is thought to have been before 1600.

As well as its ornamental appeal the Mediterranean cypress is also grown for its timber. Its scented and extremely durable wood was once used for making clothes chests as its aroma was once thought to keep moths away. Perhaps most famously however, the doors of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in Rome were once made of this wood.

Although it is able to survive in less than ideal environments, it prefers warmth and shelter and in these conditions is perfectly capable of living for several hundred years and typically growing to around 30m (100ft) in height.