Northern White Cedar
Thuja occidentalis L.

Also known as Eastern Arborvitae.

Mature Size: 40 to 70 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet in diameter.

Form: In the open, develops an even, pointed crown, giving the tree an arrowhead shape; trunk often twisted and commonly divided into 2 or more stems; branches short and horizontal.

Habitat: Stream sides and other cool, moist, organic soils.

Needles

Scale-like, 1/8 to ¼ inch long, fragrant when crushed; branchlets flattened into fan-like sprays.

Flowers

Males round, green, tipped with brown; females green with 4 to 6 scales.

Cones

½ inch long, oblong, sitting upright on the branches; cone scales leathery, red-brown and rounded, with a small spine on the tip.

Bark

Reddish-brown, graying with age, fibrous, ridged in a diamond pattern.

Twigs

Covered in green scales, turning brown with age.

Values and Uses

The wood is light brown, soft, brittle, coarse-grained, durable and fragrant. It has been used for fencing, posts, lumber, poles, cabin logs and shingles. The foliage is a preferred food of deer. Stands of white-cedar provide evergreen habitat for many birds and small mammals. The tree is often grown as an ornamental and can even be pruned into hedges.

Did You Know?

A common name for this species is arborvitae, or "tree of life." Native Americans made a tonic tea from its bark and needles. This tea is high in vitamin C and is said to have saved explorer Jacques Cartier and his crew from scurvy.

Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 16:19:37 EDT