Virginia Tech Dendrology

false arborvitae Cupressaceae Thujopsis dolabrata (Thunb. ex L. f.) Siebold & Zucc. symbol:
Leaf: Evergreen, flattened scale-like decussate pairs, to 3/8 inch long with short points; glossy dark green above, with obvious triangular white stoamatal bands below.
Flower: Species is monoecious; solitary, females green with 6-12 scales; males are green tipped with brown and cylindrical.
Fruit: An ovoid to round cone, to 1/2 inch long, with 6-12 thick and woody scales; initially purple-brown and waxy, drying to gray-brown when mature.
Twig: New growth is green and scale-like, turning brown, occurring in very flattened foliar sprays.
Bark: Fibrous, red-brown, weathering to gray.
Form: A medium to large sized tree to 125 feet, much smaller (to 50 feet) when planted as an ornamental; known for its pyramidal form, dense crown, and upswept branches.

Additional Range Information: Thujopsis dolabrata is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links:
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information