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Portrait of Western red cedar

Nature · Trees

Western red cedar

Neophyte (introduced 1853) · evergreen conifer to 60 m · hedges, plantations and parks

Thuja plicata — Cupressaceae

A Pacific north-west conifer introduced to Britain in 1853 as a park tree and now a reliable forestry species, a hedging plant and a source of extremely durable timber. It is not a true cedar. Crushed foliage smells of pineapple or pear drops, and the small oval cones stand upright.

How to know it

Whole tree of Western red cedar
Whole tree Crusier · CC BY 3.0
Leaf of Western red cedar
Leaf Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY 2.5
Bark of Western red cedar
Bark Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0

How to spot them

  • ▸Flat, fern-like sprays of scale leaves in opposite pairs, glossy dark green above with white butterfly-shaped markings beneath
  • ▸Crushed foliage smells of pineapple or pear drops
  • ▸Small, oval, upright cones with a few papery-winged scales, like tiny tulips
  • ▸Red-brown, ridged, fibrous bark that peels in strips
  • ▸Tall, narrow cone-shaped outline
  • ▸Look-alikes: Lawson cypress has round pea-sized cones, a drooping tip and a parsley smell; Leyland cypress has round cones and no white markings. Western red cedar has oval cones and a fruity smell.

How to know it

Crushed sprays of its glossy leaves smell of pineapple or pear drops

Western red cedar.

Small oval cones stand upright like tulips on a tree that is not a true cedar, but a cypress

Western red cedar (Cupressaceae).

Its timber is one of the most durable in the world and is used for cladding and shingles

Western red cedar.

Introduced in 1853 as a park tree, it is now the most reliable conifer in British forestry trials

Western red cedar (Forest Research).

The provincial tree of British Columbia and known as the tree of life in Latin

Western red cedar. Arborvitae.

The root-rot pathogen Phytophthora lateralis, better known on Lawson cypress, can also infect it

Western red cedar.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Thuja plicata — plicata means folded or pleated, for the foliage sprays
  • •Introduced to Britain in 1853 by Thomas Lobb (possibly two years earlier to Scotland by John Jeffrey), according to Trees and Shrubs Online
  • •Arborvitae (Latin for tree of life) is a name shared by the genus, and the tree is the provincial emblem of British Columbia
  • •Timber has a natural preservative and is one of the most durable in the world; Northwest Coast peoples used the bark and roots for ropes, baskets and clothing
  • •Tolerates dense shade; often planted as evergreen hedging
  • •Forest Research: the most reliable species in British trials; a Principal tree species
  • •Can be infected by Phytophthora lateralis, the Lawson cypress root disease (Forest Research)
  • •Not considered invasive; may be attacked by scale insects and conifer aphids (Woodland Trust)

Drill it — 7 cards

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Sources