The 'Singing Tree'.
The Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) that grows beside St Paul's Trinity Church in Worcester Street is a magnet for local sparrows.
In 1973 The Press wrote of the tree's main claim to fame: "The air resounds with the cheeping, a pleasant contrast to the sometimes harsh sounds of a busy city". The 'singing tree' has been around since the development of the church in the 1860s.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is a native of the lush rainforests of southwest Oregon and northwest California, where it can grow to a height of 54 meters. These trees have been widely planted throughout Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand since early times, though they have failed to grow well in the drier parts of Canterbury.
Vital statistics:
Height: 15 metres
Crown spread: 8 metres
Trunk diameter: 58 centimetres
