Atlantic white-cedar Cupressaceae Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. symbol: CHTH2 Leaf: Evergreen and scaly, 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, blue-green with white margins. Glandular on the back. Lateral pairs have pointed, spreading tips. Facial pairs are closely pressed. Very aromatic when crushed. Flower: Species is monoecious; male flowers are red to yellow and very small; female flowers are small and green; appearing in spring. Fruit: Cones are 1/4 inch in diameter, blue or purple and glaucous, usually with 4 or 5 scales, maturing in fall. Twig: Covered in tight green scales, turning brown. Bark: Thin and fibrous, somewhat peeling, ashy gray to red-brown. Form: When young, grows as a slender column, eventually spire-like. Branchlets are slender and irregularly arranged (not as flattened sprays). Looks like: Sawara-cedar - Hinoki falsecypress - northern white-cedar - Leyland cypress Additional Range Information: Chamaecyparis thyoides is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting Atlantic white-cedar. More: Wood External Links: USDAFS Silvics of North America USDAFS Additional Silvics USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson