Northern White Cedar

Thuja occidentalis

Text Box: Form: SmallàMed. tree (10-15 m high). Pyramidal or conical shape. Main trunk is often divided into 2 or 3 secondary shoots

 

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Text Box: Bark: Light reddish-brown or gray when weathered. Shreddy appearance with broken, long, fibrous strips. Often broken into a diamond-shaped pattern

 

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Text Box: Twig: Young are thin, green, and scalelike. Mature branches turn light red and then brownish-orange. Form flattened, fernlike sprays

 
Text Box: Fruit and Flowers: Monoecious. Seed cones (April-May) are borne erect on branches, reddish-brown and round. The cone apex contains a small spine. Cones persist throughout winter

 

 

 Text Box: Leaves: Scalelike and opposite (3-6 mm in length). On main shoots, elongated points. On lateral shoots, more appressed with short points. Yellowish-green, but often turn brown in winter. Persist 1-2 yrs.

 

 
Text Box: Notes: Common in moist soils, such as swamps with moving water or stream edge,but does also require neutral or basic soil. Shade-tolerant and slow-growing, but life span is short. Can reproduce vegetatively

 

 

  

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