Cupressus dupreziana

Cupressus dupreziana, the Saharan cypress, or tarout, is a very rare coniferous tree in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, native to the Tassili n'Ajjer mountains in the central Sahara desert of southeast Algeria, where it forms a unique population of trees hundreds of kilometres from any other trees. The largest is about 22 m tall, but has now lost its top. The majority are estimated to be over 2000 years old, with very little regeneration due to the increasing desertification of the Sahara. Rainfall totals in the area are estimated to be about 30 mm annually. The largest one is named Tin-Balalan is believed to be the oldest tarout tree with a circumference of 12 metres (39 ft). Surveys between 1997–2001 located 233 specimens of this endangered species, with a decline to 212 in March 2026 with the deaths of 21 large trees in recent severe drought, and no new regeneration has been recorded for over 30 years. All of the trees are now mapped and measured; the current tallest is now 20.4 m.