Shape elongated-pyramidal, up to 120 ft. tall. Bark ashen brown with diagonal ridges. Branches horizontal, repeatedly forking to form flat sprays. Scales closely overlapping the twigs, fragrant, minute, or on leading branches larger and spreading, becoming brown and woody in age. Cones resinous, dryly fleshy. Range: s. Alaska to the Cascade mts. of Ore. The wood, very durable, aromatic, close-grained, clear yellow, is used for shipbuilding. One of the finest timber trees in the world, it has been exported in great quantity especially to China. PORT OXFORD CEDAR (Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana) s. Ore. to Humboldt Co., Calif. has distinctly flattened twigs, conspicuous glands on the leaves and deeply furrowed ruddy bark. This mighty tree is sometimes twelve feet thick. The wood is used for flooring, interior finish and shipbuilding.
White Cedar
WHITE CEDAR
(Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Shape slenderly conical, 20-90 ft. tall. Bark grayish brown, separating off in shreddy strips, somewhat spirally twisted. Branches short, sparse, slender, horizontal, forking into feathery branchlets. Scales minute, pressed closely to the stem and overlapping, keeled on the back and glandular, spicy-aromatic. Cones gummy, very small, finally opening toward the center into a few thick scales. Range: Swamps from se. Me. to Fla. (but not on the peninsula) and around the coast to Miss. The light ruddy brown, fragrant wood is not strong, but endures moisture eternally; it is used for fence-posts, ties, and shingles. Stumps that have been under water for centuries show no signs of rot. This sad-looking tree forms monotonous low forests in the swamps that would otherwise be useless.
Eastern Arbor Vitae
EASTERN ARBOR VITAE
(Thuja occidentalis)
Shape a very compact symmetrical pyramid. up to 70 ft. tall. Trunk often forked and lobed, or buttressed, clothed to the base by the branches. Bark ash gray to light brown, separating into flat shreddy strips, spirally twisted. Branches short, horizontal, or the lowest down sweeping. Scales gray green, closely overlapping and thickly investing every twig to form a beautiful flat forked spray of foliage; each scale with a raised glandular spot which gives off a sweet, camphor-like fragrance. Cones small, about ½ in. long. Ranges swamps from s. Lab. to Man. and Minn., and from Pa. s. on the Appalachians, where very rare. The wood, fragrant, soft and brittle but very durable, is used for fence posts, rails, ties, spools and shingles. This is a superb tree, giving to the bogs of the eastern states much of their charm.
