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Thuja plicata
Also called Western Red-cedar, Giant Arbor-vitae, Pacific Red-cedar, Shinglewood, Western or Giant Arborvitae, Giant Cedar, Canoe Cedar
Western redcedar is a huge, long-lived conifer native to the Pacific Northwest, grown in gardens mainly as a large screen, hedge or specimen tree. The key to growing it is moist soil and a site that suits its size.
Thuja plicata is a large coniferous tree in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Its common name is western redcedar, although it is not a true cedar. It is also less commonly called western red cedar, pacific red cedar, giant arborvitae, western arborvitae, just cedar, giant cedar, or shinglewood. T. plicata is the largest species in the genus Thuja, growing up to 70 metres (230 ft) tall and 7 m (23 ft) in diameter. It mostly grows in areas that experience a mild climate with plentiful rainfall, although it is sometimes present in drier areas on sites where water is available year-round, such as wet valley bottoms and mountain streamsides. The species is shade-tolerant and able to establish in forest understories and is thus considered a climax species.
Like its relative Thuja occidentalis and many other conifer species, T. plicata is grown as an ornamental tree, and for screens and hedges, throughout the world in gardens and parks. A wide variety of forms, sizes, and colors are available.
Cultivars
Thuja plicata is among the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest. It is associated with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) in most places where it grows. It grows best on moist sites in areas with a wet, maritime climate, and only occurs where precipitation exceeds 71 centimetres (28 in) annually. It grows from the Cascade Range and Coast Mountains westward to the Pacific Ocean, from central South East Alaska (near the village of Kake) to northern California (growing closer to the coast at the northern and southern extremes). A disjunct population occurs inland from central-southeast British Columbia through the Idaho Panhandle. The easternmost extent of its distribution occurs in Glacier National Park in Montana, where it is a major component of forests surrounding Lake McDonald. It is present east of the continental divide in the park, growing in a handful of small, isolated stands.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Thuja plicata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
