Scientific Name:
Thuja plicata
Pronunciation:
THOO-yuh ply-KAY-tuh
Common Name:
western red cedar
Family Name:
Cupressaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Branches arching, branchlets pendent flattened sprays 15-50cm long × 5-15cm wide; leaves scale-like in flattened opposite pairs with white marking on underside; 1-6mm long including decurrent base; pollen cones 1-3mm, borne in a cup formed by two leaf pairs at the tips of lateral spray branchlets; seed cones ellipsoid, with 4 pairs of scales (2-3 fertile pairs) arranged in 4 ranks, 10-12mm long and about half as wide when dry and fully opened, each with a nearly terminal deltate projection; seeds 8-14 per cone, 4-7.5mm long including wings, reddish brown. Conifers.org
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
> 30m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Floristry, Forestry, Hedge row, Mixed shrub border, Sheared hedge, Specimen plant
Additional Info:
Google. Form is shaggier compared to Leyland cypress. Cultivars shown may include T. 'Zabrina' (variegated, slower growing).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Scale-like
Arrangement:
Opposite, Imbricate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, older leaves (> 3 years old) turn orangish-brown in October
Colour in Fall:
Green, Orange
Shapes:
Rhomboidal
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
2 kinds, in alternating pairs, each pair placed perpendicular to the pair below so that they appear to be in 4 rows along the twigs: The pair on the upper and lower sides of the twig are flat, w. tips overlapping the next higher pair. The pair on the sides of the twig are folded, the edges clasp the pair at the same node.
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, No flowers, Brown, Black
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Not showy
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Tan, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings, Layering
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Abiotic disorder, Beetles or weevils, Blight or needle cast, Canker or sap rot, Caterpillar or cutworm, Mites, Root rot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (HPZ) Horticulture PlaZa : cv. Whipcord
- (JPL) Juglans PLanting
- (LTW) Langley Township Walk : Twin Rinks
- (PHA) PolyHouse and Area
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLE) Turf Field Lab East : cv. Aurea
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House
- (WLG) WoodLand Garden