| Description | American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is a species plant and has been superseded by many better cultivars, but it is still a usable landscape plant. Grows to a mid-sized, conical-shaped evergreen tree. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Shrubs Coniferous |
| Hardiness Zone | 2-7 |
| Sunlight | Arborvitae prefers full sun and tolerates shade; however, the less sunlight it receives, the looser the foliage becomes. |
| Moisture | average, moist to wet |
| Soil & Site | average, moist to wet |
| Flowers | Solitary flowers are not ornamental, and the plants are monoecious. |
| Fruit | Produces small woody cones that are light tan and mature to a dark brown cone. This is where the seeds are released. |
| Leaves | The leaves are called Imbricate, which are overlapping scales. They are flat, dark green needles that may turn yellowish-brown in winter. When crushed, it has a pleasant citrusy scent. |
| Roots | fibrous |
| Dimensions | Can reach tree size, reaching 40 plus feet tall by over 15 feet spread. |
| Maintenance | Sometimes they form multiple terminal branches and these will split in heavy snows. To prevent this, the stems are usually tied together. All Arborvitae are among the easiest of the evergreen shrubs to transplant. Needs pruning to maintain size. |
| Propagation | cuttings, seeds |
| Native Site | The primary distribution is in eastern Canada and the adjacent northern US, including the New England states, the Great Lakes states, and New York. |
| Misc Facts | I always tell my students that landscapers call this plant "Arborvitae" and lumberman call it "White Cedar". Lumber made from these trees has rot resistant qualities. AKA: Northern White Cedar, White Cedar, Eastern White Cedar |
| Author's Notes | The species plant is not commonly used in landscaping, not because it isn't hardy, but because dozens of improved cultivars are available. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences of different types of Thuja. |
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