The Monterey Cypress is the Reserve's most celebrated tree. Gnarled, buttressed trunks and contorted branches reveal how it has adapted to survive on the outermost granite cliffs at the continent's edge. Its tiny overlapping, scaly leaves and walnut-sized cones distinguish it from the pine. The Monterey Cypress cannot be successfully be cultivated away from the cool, moist sea breeze, for it succumbs to a fungus disease. The cypress and Monterey Pine require heat or fire to release seed from their cones.