A medium to large conifer with very dense foliage native to woodlands on rocky soils in Mexico and Central America. It is a popular ornamental and forest tree throughout its native range and in many regions around the world. It is also used as a Christmas tree. The tree is useful for timber production, while its leaves and young shoots are used for production of aromatic oils.
The scientific name lusitanica (of Portugal) refers to its very early cultivation there, with plants imported from Mexico to the monastery at Bucaco, near Coimbra in Portugal in about 1634; these trees were already over 130 years old when the species was botanically described in 1768.
Hardy to USDA Zone 7.