Description

Leaves: Small; scale-like; attached in whorls of four; flattened along and clasping twig; 1/8" to 1/2" long; dark green; evergreen; persist 3 to 5 years; aromatic when crushed.

Twigs/buds: Twigs slender; covered by foliage; often flattened and arranged in vertical sprays.  Buds very small; indistinct; not useful for identification purposes.

Flowers/fruit: Monoecious.  Fruit a cone; 3/4" to 1-1/2" long; elongated; red-brown; hangs-down; 6 scales, though only five are apparent, with 2 scales becoming very long at maturity, with the appearance of a duck's bill as they open; matures by fall, but stays on tree through winter.

Bark: Scaly to fibrous; light brown to rusty-red; eventually becoming deeply furrowed; distinctive.

Wood: Important; sapwood nearly white and thin; heartwood reddish; light weight; soft; extensively used for pencils.

General: Native to mountainous areas in California, Oregon, and Washington.  Not a true cedar.  Medium to fairly large tree; medium to slow growth.  Shade tolerant.

Landscape Use: A nice, large tree planted in Utah more in the past than presently.  I have seen several in Salt Lake City growing in yards of 40 to 50 year-old houses and doing quite well.  The bark is very attractive as it ages.  The tree has an arborvitae-like look, but somehow different.  Fairly heat tolerant and can stand a range of soil conditions.  Zones 5-8(9).

Cultivars: 'Aureovariegata', 'Berrima Gold', 'Compacta', 'Depressa', 'Glauca', 'Intricata', 'Maupin Glow', 'Pillar', 'Riet'.

Characteristics