Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Wisselii'
Common name: 
Wissel's Lawson Cypress
Wissel's Port Orford Cedar
Pronunciation: 
kam-e-SIP-a-ris la-so-ni-A-na
Family: 
Cupressaceae
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
Yes
  • Conifer, evergreen, slender tree with a distinctive jagged silhouette of upright branches; branchlets end in congested tufts of bluish to gray-green foliage. Its reddish male pollen cones are prominent in spring; it produces many female cones. In 10 years a specimen may reach 12 to 18 feet (4 – 6 m) tall.
  • Sun or partial shade.  Prefers well-drained, moist soil; shelter from winds.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 5     It originated in about 1885 at a forestry station in Tharandt, Germany. In 1888 in was named after F. van der Wissel, a nurseryman of Epe, The Netherlands (Jacobson).
  • More recently a sport derived from C. lawsoniana ‘Wisselii’ in Holland is available as ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’. It has a main stem and arm-like stems that together recall the arrangement of a Saguaro cactus,  Carnegiea gigantean.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus:  south entrance to the Student Experience Center on Jefferson Ave.
Click image to enlarge
  • in a landscape

    in a landscape

  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branches and foliage

    branches and foliage

  • branchlets

    branchlets

  • plant habit, growth in five years

    plant habit, growth in five years