Chamaecyparis thyoides
Common name:
White Cedar
Atlantic Whitecedar
Whitecedar Falsecypress
Pronunciation:
kam-e-SIP-a-ris thi-OI-dez
Family:
Cupressaceae
Genus:
Type:
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Conifer, evergreen tree, 40-50(80)ft [12-15(25)m] tall, conical when young, spire-like when old and often bare on the lower half. Bark is reddish brown and has flat ridges. Leaves of the juvenile form are awl-like, flat, and 6-8 mm long; adult leaves are scale-like, about 2 mm long, in pairs, lateral leaves only slightly larger than facial leaves, closely appressed, spreading outward on vigorous shoots, bluish green or light green, without white markings, conspicuous resinous glands; very aromatic when crushed (some say ginger-scented); foliage may turn violet-red or brownish-red in winter. Flowers of each sex found on the same tree (monoecious), male flowers very small, red to yellow; female flowers small and green; appear in spring. Cones often clustered on small twigs, globose, but may be asymmetric, about 6 mm across, bluish-purple, finally brown.
- Sun best in moist, sandy soil
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 Native to swampy areas along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida and Alabama and Mississippi. Selected dense and/or dwarf selections offered in nurseries. Two such cultivars are, 'Ericoides' and 'Red Star'; they are similar and sometime mislabeled.
- thyoides: resembling Thuja