Difference between revisions of "Thuja plicata"

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Thuja plicata, Don (T. gigantea, Nutt. T. Menziesii, Douglas. T. Lobbii, Hort.). Fig. 3800. Tall tree, attaining 200 ft., with short horizontal branches often pendulous at the ends, forming a narrow pyramid: trunk with a much-buttressed base and clothed with cinnamon-red bark: branchlets slender, regularly and closely set: lvs. bright green and glossy above, dark green beneath and with whitish triangular spots: lvs. of vigorous shoots widely spaced, ending in long points parallel to axis, of the lateral branchlets acute and scarcely glandular: cones cylindric-ovoid, little over 1/2 in. long; scales 8-10, elliptic-oblong, usually the 3 middle pairs fertile; seeds winged, notched at the apex. Alaska to N. Calif. and Mont. S.S. 10:533. G.C. III. 21:215, 258 (adapted in Fig. 3800). G.F. 4:116. Gn. 74, p. 65. G. 9:305. M.D.G. 1909:42. Var. atrovirens, Sudw. (T. gigantea atrovirens, Beissn.). Foliage dark green. Var. fastigiata, Schneid. (T. gigantea fastigiata, Beissn. T. gigantea pyramidalis, Bean). Columnar form. G.C. III. 41:200. Var. gracilis, Rehd. (T. gigantea var. gracilis, Beissn.). Smaller tree, with more slender branches and smaller foliage of paler green. Var. pendula, Schneid. (T. gigantea pendula, Beissn.). Form with slender pendulous branches.
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|familia=Cupressaceae
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|genus=Thuja
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|species=plicata
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|common_name=Giant arbor, Western red cedar
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|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|habit=tree
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|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|Min ht box=70
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|Min ht metric=ft
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|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|Max wd box=15
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|lifespan=perennial
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|exposure=sun
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|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|min_zone=5
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|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|image=Trees dsc00826.jpg
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'''Western Red Cedar''' ('''''Thuja plicata''''') is a species of ''[[Thuja]]'', an [[evergreen]] [[Pinophyta|coniferous]] [[tree]] in the cypress family [[Cupressaceae]]. In the American [[Horticulture|horticultural]] trade, it is also known as the '''Giant Arborvitae''', ''Arborvitae'' being another name for its [[genus]].
  
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{{Taxobox
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The Western Red Cedar is not actually a cedar ''([[Cedrus]])'', but belongs in the Cupressaceae family, along with [[cypress]]es.  It is known by many names: Pacific red cedar, British Columbia cedar, canoe cedar, giant cedar, and red cedar.<ref name="stewart 22">Stewart (1984), p. 22</ref>
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| color = lightgreen
 
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| name = Western Redcedar
 
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| status = LR/lc
 
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| image = Thuja plicata shoot.jpg
 
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| image_width = 240px
 
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| image_caption = ''Thuja plicata'' shoot with mature cones
 
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
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| divisio = [[Pinophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Pinophyta|Pinopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Pinales]]
 
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| familia = [[Cupressaceae]]
 
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| genus = ''[[Thuja]]''
 
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| species = '''''T. plicata'''''
 
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| binomial = ''Thuja plicata''
 
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| binomial_authority = Donn ex [[David Don|D.Don]]
 
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'''Western Redcedar''' ('''''Thuja plicata''''') is a species of ''[[Thuja]]'', an [[evergreen]] [[Pinophyta|coniferous]] [[tree]] in the cypress family [[Cupressaceae]], native to the northwestern [[United States]] and southwestern [[Canada]], from southern [[Alaska]] and [[British Columbia]] south to northwest [[California]] and inland to western [[Montana]].  
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The Western Red Cedar is a large tree, ranging between 40 to 150 feet (12 to 45 meters) tall and up to 22 feet (7 meters) in trunk diameter. Trees growing in the open will exhibit a crown that reaches the ground, whereas trees densely spaced together will only exhibit a crown at the top, where light can reach the leaves.<ref name="stewart 24"/>  Some individuals can live nearly a thousand years, if not more.
  
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[[Image:QuinaultLakeCedar 7274c.jpg|left|thumb|''Quinault Lake Redcedar'', largest in the world]]
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The foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, with successive pairs at 90° to each other. The foliage sprays are green above, and green marked white with [[stomata]]l bands below. The [[conifer cone|cones]] are slender, 15–20 mm long and 4–5 mm broad, with 8-12 thin, overlapping scales. 
  
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The foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, with successive pairs at 90° to each other. The foliage sprays are green above, and green marked white with [[stomata]]l bands below. The [[conifer cone|cones]] are slender, 15-20 mm long and 4-5 mm broad, with 8-12 thin, overlapping scales.
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''[[Thuja]] plicata'', Don (T. gigantea, Nutt. T. Menziesii, Douglas. T. Lobbii, Hort.). Tall tree, attaining 200 ft., with short horizontal branches often pendulous at the ends, forming a narrow pyramid: trunk with a much-buttressed base and clothed with cinnamon-red bark: branchlets slender, regularly and closely set: lvs. bright green and glossy above, dark green beneath and with whitish triangular spots: lvs. of vigorous shoots widely spaced, ending in long points parallel to axis, of the lateral branchlets acute and scarcely glandular: cones cylindric-ovoid, little over 1/2 in. long; scales 8-10, elliptic-oblong, usually the 3 middle pairs fertile; seeds winged, notched at the apex. Alaska to N. Calif. and Mont. Var. atrovirens, Sudw. (T. gigantea atrovirens, Beissn.). Foliage dark green. Var. fastigiata, Schneid. (T. gigantea fastigiata, Beissn. T. gigantea pyramidalis, Bean). Columnar form. Var. gracilis, Rehd. (T. gigantea var. gracilis, Beissn.). Smaller tree, with more slender branches and smaller foliage of paler green. Var. pendula, Schneid. (T. gigantea pendula, Beissn.). Form with slender pendulous branches.
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Western Redcedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. The ''Quinault Lake Redcedar'' (left) is the largest known Western Redcedar in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters. Located near the northwest shore of [[Lake Quinault]] north of [[Aberdeen, Washington]], about 34 km from the Pacific Ocean, it is 53.0 m high with a diameter of 5.94 m (Van Pelt, 2001). A Redcedar over 71 m tall and 700 years old stood in [[Cathedral Grove]] on [[Vancouver Island]], [[British Columbia]], before it was set on fire and destroyed by vandals in 1972.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}
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It is among the most widespread trees in the [[Pacific Northwest]], and is associated with [[Pseudotsuga menziesii|Douglas-fir]] and [[Tsuga heterophylla|Western hemlock]] in most places where it grows. In addition to growing in lush forests, Western Redcedar is also a [[Riparian zone|riparian]] tree, and grows in many forested [[swamp]]s and streambanks in its range. The tree is shade-tolerant, and able to reproduce under dense shade.
 
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Western Redcedar is the [[Provincial tree emblems of Canada|Provincial tree]] of British Columbia. It is also known (mainly in the American [[Horticulture|horticultural]] trade) as '''Giant Arborvitae'''. The name Western Redcedar is also sometimes split into three words as 'Western Red Cedar', though this can cause confusion, as it is not a [[cedar]].
 
  
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==Uses==
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==Cultivation==
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[[Image:Starr_041221_1920_thuja_plicata.jpg|left|thumb|''T. plicata'' in a plantation at [[Polipoli]], [[Maui]], [[Hawaii]]]]
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The soft red-brown timber is valued for its resistance to decay, being extensively used for outdoor construction in the form of posts, decking, shingles, siding, and so forth. It is cultivated as an [[ornamental tree]] and also (to a limited extent) in [[forestry]] [[plantation]]s and for screens and [[Hedge (gardening)|hedge]]s. It has been introduced to other parts of the temperate zone, including western [[Europe]], [[Australia]] (at least as far north as [[Sydney]]), [[New Zealand]], the eastern United States and higher elevations of [[Hawaii]]. It is also used to line closets and chests, for is pungent aromatic oils are believed to discourage moth and carpet beetle larvae, which can damage cloth by eating wool and similar fibers. This is of course more effective in a properly constructed ''redcedar chest'' (sometimes made entirely of cedar), since the oils are confined by shellac and leather seals. A well-sealed redcedar chest will retain its pungent odor for many decades, sometimes for over a century. Its light weight and stength make it a popular choice for [[guitar]] [[soundboards]].
 
  
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==== Native American Uses ====
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===Propagation===
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Western Redcedar has an extensive history of use by the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] people of the northwest coast of North America, from Oregon to southeast Alaska. Its wood is used to make [[canoe]]s, [[totem pole]]s, houses, masks, helmets, armor, boxes, utensils, tools, and many other art and utility objects. Some northwest coast tribes refer to themselves as "people of the Redcedar" because of their extensive dependence on the tree for basic materials.
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[[Image:cedar_bark.png|thumb|left]]
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===Pests and diseases===
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;Bark
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The [[bark]] is easily removed from live trees in long strips, and is harvested for use in making mats, [[rope]] and cordage, [[basket]]ry, rain hats, [[clothing]], and other soft goods. The harvesting of bark must be done with care because if the tree is completely stripped it will die. To prevent this, the harvester only harvests from trees which have not been stripped before, and usually less than a half round of the bark is removed. After harvesting the tree is not used for bark again, although it may later be felled for wood. Stripping bark is usually started with a series of cuts at the base of the tree above any buttresses, and the bark is peeled upwards. To remove bark high up, a pair of platforms strung on rope around the tree are used, and the harvester climbs by alternating between them for support. Since redcedars lose their lower branches as all tall trees do in the rainforest, the harvester may climb 10 m or more into the tree by this method. The harvested bark is folded and carried in backpacks. It can be stored for quite some time as mold does not grow on it, and is moistened before unfolding and working. It is then split lengthwise into the required width and woven or twisted into shape. Bark harvesting was mostly done by women, despite the danger of climbing 10 m in the air, because they were the primary makers of bark goods. Today bark rope making is a lost art in many communities, although it is still practiced for decoration or art in a few places. Other uses of bark are still common for artistic or practical purposes.
 
  
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;Wood
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==Species==
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Redcedar branches are very flexible and have good tensile strength. They were stripped and used as strong cords for [[fishing]] line, rope cores, twine, and other purposes where bark cord was not strong enough or might fray. Both the branches and bark rope have been replaced by modern fiber and nylon cordage among the aboriginal northwest coast peoples, though the bark is still in use for the other purposes mentioned above.
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<!--  This section should be renamed Cultivars if it appears on a page for a species (rather than genus), or perhaps Varieties if there is a mix of cultivars, species, hybrids, etc    -->
  
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Harvesting redcedars required some ceremony, and included propitiation of the tree's spirits as well as those of the surrounding trees. In particular, many people specifically requested the tree and its brethren not to fall or drop heavy branches on the harvester, a situation which is mentioned in a number of different stories of people who were not sufficiently careful. Some professional loggers of Native American descent have mentioned that they offer quiet or silent propitiations to trees which they fell, following in this tradition.
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==Gallery==
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
  
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Felling of large trees such as redcedar before the introduction of steel tools was a complex and time-consuming art. Typically the bark was removed around the base of the tree above the buttresses, and then some amount of cutting and splitting with stone adzes and mauls would be done, creating a wide triangular cut. The area above and below the cut would be covered with a mixture of wet moss and clay as a firebreak, and then the cut would be packed with tinder and small kindling and slowly burned. The process of cutting and burning would alternate until the tree was mostly penetrated through, and then careful tending of the fire would fell the tree in the best direction for handling. This process could take many days, and constant rotation of workers was involved to keep the fires burning through night and day, often in a remote and forbidding location. Once the tree was felled the work had only just begun, as it then had to be stripped and dragged down to shore. If the tree was to become canoes then it would often be divided into sections and worked into rough canoe shapes before transport, but if it were to be used for a totem pole or building materials it would be towed in the round to the village. Many trees are still felled in this traditional manner for use as totem poles and canoes, particularly by artists who feel that using modern tools is detrimental to the traditional spirit of the art. Non-traditionalists simply buy redcedar logs or lumber at mills or lumber yards, a practice that is commonly followed by most working in smaller sizes such as for masks and staves.
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<gallery>
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File:Jumet (Bivort) AR1aJPG.jpg
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Image:QuinaultLakeCedar 7274c.jpg|''Quinault Lake Redcedar'', largest in the world
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Image:Starr_041221_1920_thuja_plicata.jpg|''T. plicata''
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Image:cedar_bark.png|
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File:Thuja plicata shoot.jpg
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File:Thuja plicata 43570.JPG
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File:Thuja plicata Vancouver.jpg
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</gallery>
  
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Because felling required such an extraordinary amount of work, if only planks for housing were needed, these would be split from the living tree. The bark was stripped and saved, and two cuts were made at the ends of the planking. Then wedges would be pounded in along the sides and the planks slowly split off the side of the tree. Trees which have been so harvested are still visible in some places in the rainforest, with obvious chunks taken off of their sides. Such trees usually continue to grow perfectly well, since redcedar wood is resistant to decay.
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==References==
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
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==Reference and external links==
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==External links==
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{{Commons|Thuja plicata}}
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*{{wplink}}
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* {{IUCN2006|assessors=Conifer Specialist Group|year=1998|id=42263|title=Thuja plicata|downloaded=12 May 2006}}
 
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*{{cite book | author=Van Pelt, R. | title=Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast  | publisher=University of Washington Press | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0-295-98140-7}}
 
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*[http://www.conifers.org/cu/th/plicata.htm Gymnosperm Database - ''Thuja plicata'']
 
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*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=THPL USDA Plants Profile: ''Thuja plicata'']
 
  
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[[Category:Cupressaceae]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Trees of Northwestern United States]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Trees of Alaska]]
 
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[[Category:Trees of British Columbia]]
 
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[[Category:Trees of California]]
 
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[[Category:Trees of Oregon]]
 
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[[Category:Building materials]]
 
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[[Category:Trees of Idaho]]
 
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[[Category:Trees of Washington]]
 

Latest revision as of 00:22, 27 April 2010


Trees dsc00826.jpg


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: ⇕ 70 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70. to 120 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 120.
Width: ⇔ 15 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ sun
USDA Zones: 5 to 10
Scientific Names

Cupressaceae >

Thuja >

plicata >


Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae. In the American horticultural trade, it is also known as the Giant Arborvitae, Arborvitae being another name for its genus.

The Western Red Cedar is not actually a cedar (Cedrus), but belongs in the Cupressaceae family, along with cypresses. It is known by many names: Pacific red cedar, British Columbia cedar, canoe cedar, giant cedar, and red cedar.[1]

The Western Red Cedar is a large tree, ranging between 40 to 150 feet (12 to 45 meters) tall and up to 22 feet (7 meters) in trunk diameter. Trees growing in the open will exhibit a crown that reaches the ground, whereas trees densely spaced together will only exhibit a crown at the top, where light can reach the leaves.[2] Some individuals can live nearly a thousand years, if not more.

The foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, with successive pairs at 90° to each other. The foliage sprays are green above, and green marked white with stomatal bands below. The cones are slender, 15–20 mm long and 4–5 mm broad, with 8-12 thin, overlapping scales.


Read about Thuja plicata in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Thuja plicata, Don (T. gigantea, Nutt. T. Menziesii, Douglas. T. Lobbii, Hort.). Tall tree, attaining 200 ft., with short horizontal branches often pendulous at the ends, forming a narrow pyramid: trunk with a much-buttressed base and clothed with cinnamon-red bark: branchlets slender, regularly and closely set: lvs. bright green and glossy above, dark green beneath and with whitish triangular spots: lvs. of vigorous shoots widely spaced, ending in long points parallel to axis, of the lateral branchlets acute and scarcely glandular: cones cylindric-ovoid, little over 1/2 in. long; scales 8-10, elliptic-oblong, usually the 3 middle pairs fertile; seeds winged, notched at the apex. Alaska to N. Calif. and Mont. Var. atrovirens, Sudw. (T. gigantea atrovirens, Beissn.). Foliage dark green. Var. fastigiata, Schneid. (T. gigantea fastigiata, Beissn. T. gigantea pyramidalis, Bean). Columnar form. Var. gracilis, Rehd. (T. gigantea var. gracilis, Beissn.). Smaller tree, with more slender branches and smaller foliage of paler green. Var. pendula, Schneid. (T. gigantea pendula, Beissn.). Form with slender pendulous branches. CH


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

Gallery

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  • Jumet (Bivort) AR1aJPG.jpg

  • Quinault Lake Redcedar, largest in the world

  • T. plicata

  • Cedar bark.png
  • Thuja plicata shoot.jpg
  • Thuja plicata 43570.JPG
  • Thuja plicata Vancouver.jpg

References

External links


  1. ↑ Stewart (1984), p. 22
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named stewart 24
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