Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis (Xanthocyparis) nootkatensis
Common Name: Alaska cedar, nootka cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: scale like, simple, opposite arrangement, glabrous surfaces, prickly, deltoid/rhomboidal in shape
Bud:
Flower: green-yellow male cones
Fruit/Seed: brown, winged seeds
Stem/Bark: stringy, brown to red
Size: 50-70’ height, 20-30’ spread
Habit: pendulous, arching branches, nodding central leader
Form: narrowly pyramidal, weeping
Soil conditions: acidic, fertile, well drained
Moisture: even moisture
Sun: full sun to partial shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: patio, winter interest, specimen, yards, parks
Notes: dependant on heavy snow packs to give roots adequate protection from harsh arctic winters, climate change has greatly affected this species with thinning snow packs
Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa
Common Name: Japanese cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: Japan
Leaf: appressed needles, deep green above and whitish below, sometimes rigid, blunt, fan like arrangement
Bud:
Flower: small cones, globose
Fruit/Seed:
Stem/Bark: wood is lemon scented, thin horizontal branches, reddish brown exfoliating bark
Size: up to 114’ height,
Habit: flattened horizontal branching
Form: broadly pyramidal
Soil conditions: neutral to slightly acidic, well drained
Moisture: moist
Sun: full sun to partial shade
Exposure: does not tolerate air pollution, wet sites
Landscape use: parks, garden spaces, bonsai trees, focal point, foundation shrub
Notes: high quality timber in Japan, used for building palaces, temples, shrines
Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis pisifera
Common Name: sawara cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: Japan
Leaf: narrow scales, opposite, glabrous surfaces, dark green, sheathing bases, entire margins, white stomatal bands, somewhat flattened
Bud:
Flower: male cone, brown-black, globose
Fruit/Seed: winged seeds, green to brown, round, wrinkled in appearance
Stem/Bark: grey to reddish brown, fibrous peeling strips, somewhat furrowed, thin and brown twigs, often hidden by foliage
Size: up to 60’ height and 20’ spread
Habit: shaggy, irregular, lower branches die with age
Form: irregular, open crown
Soil conditions: humus rich, well drained
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun
Exposure:
Landscape use: hedgerow, screening, ornamental
Notes:
Botanical Name: Cupressus arizonica 'Glauca'
Common Name: Arizona cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: silver grey shimmer, opposite/subopposite, simple, entire margins, scale like, stiff feathers
Bud:
Flower: yellow, not showy, cones, globose to oblong
Fruit/Seed: small 1” cones, round, dry, hard, brown
Stem/Bark: grey reddish brown, peeling
Size: 30-40’ height, 15-25’ spread
Habit: open branching, upright
Form: regular/smooth outline, columnar, pyramidal
Soil conditions: loamy sands, acidic, well drained
Moisture: moderate to dry
Sun: full sun
Exposure: tolerates hot and dry conditions
Landscape use: specimen, windbreak, screen
Notes: cones remain closed for many years; only opening after parent tree is killed in a wildfire (allowing seeds to colonize ground exposed by fire)
Botanical Name: Cupressus lawsoniana
Common Name: Lawson cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: feathery foliage, splayed out, scale like, narrow white stomata on undersides, flattened shoots, pungently scented, prickly, glandular hairs, rhomboidal shape
Bud:
Flower: dark red, turning brown after pollination, small
Fruit/Seed: seed cones are globose, scaled, green at first maturing to brown
Stem/Bark: reddish brown, plated, deeply fissured, exfoliating
Size: 50-80’ height, 10-13’ spread
Habit: spiraling, branch splays flat and upright, dense, horizontal, spreading
Form: open, nodding leader, narrowly pyramidal
Soil conditions: well drained, adaptable to wide variety
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun, part shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: hedgerow, specimen, woodland margin
Notes: discovered by collectors working for the Lawson & Son nursery (located in Edinburgh, Scotland) hence the name
Botanical Name: Cupressus x leylandii
Common Name: Leyland cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: garden origin
Leaf: light green scales, open splays, deltoid/rhomboidal, glabrous surfaces, leathery texture, entire margins, sheathing
Bud:
Flower: male cone, red
Fruit/Seed: brown winged seeds, cone
Stem/Bark: single leader, stringy, red to brown
Size: 70-100’ height, 30-50’ spread
Habit: dense
Form: columnar, oval-vertical, narrowly pyramidal
Soil conditions:
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun, part shade
Exposure: tolerant of pollution and salt
Landscape use: hedgerow, screening, specimen, windbreak
Notes: shallow rooting system, large trees tend to fall over
Botanical Name: Juniperus horizontalis
Common Name: creeping juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: scale like, opposite, distinctive smell, glabrous surfaces, deltoid shaped, sheathing, entire margins, bluish green, prickly
Bud:
Flower: small male cones
Fruit/Seed: winged seeds, cone, blue with waxy residue, berry like, 2 seeded
Stem/Bark: papery, exfoliating, red to brown
Size: 1-2’ height, 6-10’ spread
Habit: spreading, horizontal
Form: mat like, creeping
Soil conditions: rocky, gravelly
Moisture: dry, low
Sun: full sun
Exposure: tolerant of poor soils, dry landscapes, air pollution
Landscape use: alpine, xeriscaping, borders, mixed shrub border, group or mass planting, reclamation, erosion control, ground cover
Notes: foliage on mature plants sometimes dies back in center
Botanical Name: Juniperus scopulorum
Common Name: rocky mountain juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: scale like, simple, prickly texture, glabrous surfaces, bluish green, entire margins
Bud:
Flower: small male cones
Fruit/Seed: blue winged seeds, cone, round and fleshy “fruits”
Stem/Bark: exfoliating, red-brown
Size: 16-20’ height, 7-10’ spread
Habit: arching
Form: weeping, broad pyramidal
Soil conditions: well drained, average, adaptable
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun
Exposure: does well with dry conditions
Landscape use: small landscape tree, backgrounds, screen
Notes: not tolerant of ice coatings (most junipers in general)
Botanical Name: Juniperus squamata
Common Name: flaky juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: Asia
Leaf: whorled arrangement, linear shape, entire margins, bluish green, 6 ranked, alternating whorls of 3
Bud:
Flower: male, cones
Fruit/Seed: berry like, cones, globose to ovoid, glossy black, 1 seed
Stem/Bark: flaky brown yellow bark, moderately fissured
Size: 3-4’ height, 3-5’ spread
Habit: dense, spreading
Form: mounded, oval, horizontal
Soil conditions: rocky, gravelly, well drained
Moisture: moderate to dry
Sun: full sun, part shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: small garden space, winter interest
Notes: specific epithet means “small scale like leaves”
Botanical Name: Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Common Name: dawn redwood
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: China
Leaf: deciduous, soft flat needles, compound, even pinnate venation, linear shape, entire margins
Bud: buds small, yellowish, opposite, ovoid
Flower: male cones, bluish green
Fruit/Seed: winged seeds, brown
Stem/Bark: shaggy, trunk has depressions/armpits below leaf attachments, exfoliating, stringy, deeply fissured, orange to brown, older trees may form buttresses on lower trunk
Size: up to 100’ height, 13-16’ spread
Habit: spreading, upright
Form: narrowly pyramidal
Soil conditions: acidic, well drained
Moisture: even, high
Sun: full sun
Exposure:
Landscape use: ornamental, park, garden tree, large landscapes
Notes: once common in the northern hemisphere, was originally considered extinct, hence the name metasequoia, which means “like a sequoia”. A living specimen was discovered and seed samples were collected and distributed for growth trials
Botanical Name: Sequoia sempervirens
Common Name: coast redwood
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America (narrow band along Pacific coast of N.A)
Leaf: needle like, 2 ranked, dark green with 2 broad white stomatal bands, spiralling
Bud: striate scales
Flower: small male cones
Fruit/Seed: cones, winged seed, brown, not effective for wide dispersal
Stem/Bark: red brown, fibrous, deeply fissured, thick, fire resistant
Size: up to 379’(!!!) height, 100’ spread
Habit: upright, loosely drooping branches
Form: columnar, pyramidal, conical crown
Soil conditions: acidic, well drained
Moisture: high, enjoys cool coastal air, fog drip keeps forest consistently damp year round
Sun: full sun
Exposure: not drought tolerant
Landscape use: shade tree, specimen, parks
Notes: species produces some of the tallest trees on earth. The prehistoric fossil range is far greater than its current locations. Used to occupy Europe and Asia 5 million years ago. Sempervirens translates to “everlasting”
Botanical Name: Sequoiadendron giganteum
Common Name: Sierra redwood
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: south western US
Leaf: scale like, opposite, leathery, glabrous surface, ovate, sheathing, entire margins
Bud:
Flower: brown cones, egg shaped, festive looking
Fruit/Seed: winged seeds, oval woody cones green to brown
Stem/Bark: deeply fissured, orange to reddish brown, fire resistant bark
Size: 164-279’ height, 80’ spread
Habit: dense, stiffly upright
Form: widely pyramidal
Soil conditions: well drained, coarse, loamy, rocky
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun partial shade
Exposure: lower branches die among shading.
Landscape use: specimen, parks
Notes: among the oldest living things on Earth, as well as largest living thing by volume. at any time, tree is expected to have upwards to a 11,000 cones.
Botanical Name: Taxus baccata
Common Name: English yew
Family: Taxaceae
Distribution/Origin: Africa, Asia, Europe
Leaf: needle like, alternate, leathery glabrous surfaces, linear shape with entire margins
Bud:
Flower: male cones, small yellow flowers in spring
Fruit/Seed: drupe like, red, ovoid to oblong seed, fleshy cup/aril
Stem/Bark: exfoliating, flaking, red to brown
Size: 30-50’ height, 20-30’ spread
Habit: upright
Form: oval, vertical, rounded
Soil conditions: well drained
Moisture: moderate to dry
Sun: filtered shade, full sun
Exposure: will tolerate bad weather, dry soils and urban pollution
Landscape use: hedge, screen, yard, ornamental
Notes: baccata is latin for “bearing red berries”
Botanical Name: Taxus brevifolia
Common Name: western yew
Family: Taxaceae
Distribution/Origin: western North America
Leaf: needle like, alternate arrangement, leathery and glabrous, green to green yellow, linear with entire margins, flat splays in 2 rows
Bud:
Flower: male cones
Fruit/Seed: drupe, red, single seed, fleshy case, arils, dispersed after being digested by birds
Stem/Bark: thin, shaggy, trunk fluted or twisted, peels off to reveal rosy insides
Size: 50-70’ height, 16-22’ spread
Habit: dense, irregular
Form: oval-vertical
Soil conditions: well drained, dry, rocky
Moisture: moderate
Sun: deep shade to full sun and everywhere in between
Exposure:
Landscape use: park, specimen,
Notes: the chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel is derived from Taxus brevifolia.
Botanical Name: Taxus x media 'Hicksii'
Common Name: hick's yew
Family: Taxaceae
Distribution/Origin: garden origin
Leaf: pointy, flat, linear, 2 ranked, spiraled, leathery glabrous surface, 2 yellow green stomata on underside
Bud:
Flower:
Fruit/Seed: fleshy aril encasing single seed, red
Stem/Bark: flaky, grey to brown
Size: 12-20’ height, 8-12’ spread
Habit: spreading, upright
Form: oval to vertical, narrowly columnar
Soil conditions: humus rich, well drained
Moisture: medium
Sun: deep shade, filtered, full sun
Exposure: protect from fierce winter winds
Landscape use: screening, sheared hedge, winter interest,
Notes:
Botanical Name: Thuja occidentalis
Common Name: white cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: fan like leaves, scaly,
Bud:
Flower: slender, yellow to brown
Fruit/Seed: red to brown, showy
Fruit/Seed: red to brown, showy
Stem/Bark: red brown, furrowed, peels in narrow, longitudinal strips
Size: 20-40’ height, 10-15’ spread
Habit: upright
Form: many cultivars, can be pyramidal, rounded
Soil conditions: average, well drained, wide soil tolerance, prefers moist loams
Moisture: medium
Sun: full sun to part shade
Exposure: intolerant of dry conditions
Landscape use: foundations, landscapes, wildlife habitat
Notes: one of the 4 plants on the Ojibwe medicine wheel, associated with the north. Specific epithet means “from the western world” (occidental)
Botanical Name: Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
Common Name: emerald cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: garden origin
Leaf: opposite, scale like, dark green, rhomboidal shape, sheathing with entire margins
Bud:
Flower: small yellow male cones
Fruit/Seed: brown winged seeds
Stem/Bark: plated, brown
Size: 10-15’ height, 3-5’ spread
Habit: fastigiate, stiffly upright
Form: columnar
Soil conditions: humus rich, well drained
Moisture: moderate
Sun: full sun to partial shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: accent plant, hedgerow, screening, sheared hedge
Notes:
Botanical Name: Thuja plicata
Common Name: western red cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: North America
Leaf: scale like, flattened, opposite pairs, white markings on undersides, leathery, glabrous, rhomboidal in shape, sheathing with entire margins, braided look
Bud:
Flower: male cone
Fruit/Seed: brown winged seeds, narrow, papery
Stem/Bark: bark cinnamon red, pulls in strips, exfoliating, fibrous, aromatic
Size: 100’ height, 30-50’ spread
Habit: upright
Form: widely pyramidal
Soil conditions: acidic, well drained, fertile
Moisture: moderate to moist
Sun: full sun, part shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: floristry, forestry, hedgerow, mixed shrub border, sheared hedge, specimen
Notes: provincial tree of British Columbia
Botanical Name: Thujopsis dolabrata
Common Name: hiba
Family: Cupressaceae
Distribution/Origin: Japan
Leaf: scale like, overlapping, form flattened, rope like shoots, thick white stomatal bands on undersides, sheathing with entire margins, stomatal bands are quite distinct
Bud:
Flower: male cones
Fruit/Seed: winged seeds, brown
Stem/Bark: shaggy, red to brown
Size: 50-70’ height, 20-30’ spread
Habit: upright
Form: widely pyramidal
Soil conditions: acidic, well drained
Moisture: high, moderately
Sun: full sun to partial shade
Exposure:
Landscape use: specimen plant,
Notes: highly valued ornamental tree, planted in temples and gardens in Japan.
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