Microbiota decussata
Common name:
Russian Arborvitae
Siberian Cypress
Pronunciation:
mi-kro-bi-O-ta day-ku-SA-ta
Family:
Cupressaceae
Genus:
Type:
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Conifer, evergreen ground cover, low and wide spreading, 1 ft high (30 cm) but 9-12 ft (ca. 3-4 m) wide, somewhat reminiscent of Juniperus horizontalis, however its branch tips nod downward which makes it easy to differentiate it from spreading jumpers, whose branch tips tend to point upward. Scale-like or awl-shaped leaves in opposite pairs, each leaflet small and pointed, dull green in summer, bronzy-reddish in winter.
- Full sun to light shade. Grows in a wide range of soils.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 2 Discovered near Vladivostok, Russia in 1921.
- Microbiota: micro, small, biota, Greek name of genus Thuja; decussata: leaves in pairs, each pair at right angle to the pair above or below.