For a major species, it was discovered by Euro-Americans recently in history. Credit for the discovery goes to E. L. Greene, who made the find in the 1880s. In Huntsville, Alabama, this has been a good plant and provides a striking upright contrast in the landscape. The cultivar Carolina Sapphire was developed at Clemson University in 1968. It is a relatively new cultivar of Arizona Cypress. This evergreen tree grows in a compact form with lacy blue-green foliage and has a Christmas tree shape.