Thuja occidentalis

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 1002. 1753.

Common names: Northern white-cedar thuier cèdre cèdre-thuya occidental
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Trees to 15 (–38) m, stunted or prostrate in harsh environments; trunk to 0.9 (–1.8) m diam., sometimes divided into 2–3 secondary stems, often reproducing by layering or forming erect, rooted branches from fallen trunks; crown conical. Bark reddish-brown or grayish brown, 6–9 mm thick, fibrous, fissured. Leaves of branchlets (1.5–) 3–5 mm, acute, dull yellowish green on both surfaces of branchlets. Pollen cones 1–2 mm, reddish. Seed-cones ellipsoid, (6–) 9–14 mm, brown; fertile scales usually 2 pairs, each minutely mucronate. Seeds ca. 8 per cone, 4–7 mm (including wings), reddish-brown. 2n = 22.


Habitat: On mostly calcareous substrates, neutral to basic swamps, shores of lakes and rivers, uplands, cliffs, and talus
Elevation: 0–900 m

Distribution

V2 342-distribution-map.gif

Man., N.B., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Conn., Ill., Ind., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va., Wis.

Discussion

Isolated stands of Thuja occidentalis occur north and east of its general range in Canada (to 51° 31' N latitude in Ontario, 50° N in Quebec). In the United States south of the Great Lakes and in southern New England, it occurs locally in scattered stands and is rare or extirpated at numerous former sites. In some areas, heavy winter browsing by deer greatly reduces reproductive success through elimination of seedlings or saplings.

Thuja occidentalis is widely utilized in ornamental silviculture and has more than 120 named cultivars. It was probably the first North American tree introduced into Europe (ca. 1566). It is an important timber tree; the wood is used for applications requiring decay resistance.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"with slightly enlarged apex" is not a number. "thin" is not a number. "thin" is not a number.

... more about "Thuja occidentalis"
enlarged +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Kenton L. Chambers +
Linnaeus +
long-lived +
grayish brown +  and reddish-brown +
fissured +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +  and undifferentiated +
Northern white-cedar +, thuier cèdre +  and cèdre-thuya occidental +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
conical +
Man. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Conn. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, Tenn. +, Vt. +, Va. +, W.Va. +  and Wis. +
0–900 m +
On mostly calcareous substrates, neutral to basic swamps, shores of lakes and rivers, uplands, cliffs, and talus +
scale-like +  and flattened +
decurrent +  and scale-like +
heteromorphic +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
yellowish green +
persisting +
spreading +  and appressed +
3 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
spheric;oblong +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
fibrous;woody +
peltate +  and complex +
cuneate +  and oblong +
fleshy +  and woody +
overlapping +
persistent +
basifixed +
mucronate +
1 +  and 2 +
reddish-brown +
lenticular +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
frondlike +, flattened +  and fan--shaped +
Thuja occidentalis +
species +
divided +
flattened +, angled +  and terete +
1,500 cm15,000 mm <br />15 m <br /> (3,800 cm38,000 mm <br />38 m <br />) +
small +  and large +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +