Scientific Name:
Thuja occidentalis
Pronunciation:
THOO-yuh ok-sih-den-TAY-liss
Common Name:
white cedar
Family Name:
Cupressaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Branchlets flattened, bearing foliage in flattened, fan-shaped sprays; leaves scale-like, 1-4mm long x 1-2mm wide, pointed, dull yellow-green on both top and bottom, with conspicuous glands on lateral leaves near branchlet tips; pollen cones 1-2mm long, reddish; seed cones ovoid, 9-14mm long, green maturing to brown, with two pairs of woody fertile scales; seeds red-brown, 8 per cone, 4-7mm long (including wings). Conifers.org
Habit:
Dense, Fastigiate, Stiffly upright, Upright
Form:
Columnar, Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Fine
Mature Height:
5 - 7m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Canada - eastern, U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Hedge row, Screening, Sheared hedge, Tall background
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include:
T. 'Brandon',
T. 'Ellwangeriana',
T. 'Golden Globe',
T. 'Rheingold',
T. 'Fastigiata', and
T. 'Smaragd' (las two listed have separate entries).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Scale-like
Arrangement:
Opposite, Imbricate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Grayish-green foliage; bronze in winter
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Rhomboidal
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Yellow, Brown
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
More likely to develop on water stressed plants.
Bark Morphology:
Shaggy, Stringy, Moderately fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Brown
Propagation:
Greenwood cuttings, Softwood cuttings, Hardwood cuttings
Other:
needs yearly shearing and shaping to tolerate snowfall if used as hedge
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (GAZ) GAZebo : cv. Smaragd
- (GAZE) GAZebo East
- (GAZN) GAZebo North
- (GAZW) GAZebo West
- (LTW) Langley Township Walk