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Chamaecyparis thyoides

This plant is not currently for sale.  This is an archive page preserved for informational use. 

The majestic Atlantic White Cedar is actually a Cypress, not a Cedar. It is a medium-to-large (50-ft), coniferous, evergreen, wetland tree well known for the excellent quality of its light, strong wood. Its range is coastal (less than 200 feet elevation) from southern Maine to northern Florida and a disjunct population occurs in coastal Mississippi and Alabama. The bluish-green foliage of the Atlantic White Cedar is softer than that of Red Cedar. The seed cones are small and roundish. Historically the wood has been in great demand as a material for boat-building, shingles, siding, and any product that would be in contact with water. Commercially over-harvested for years for its high quality timber, efforts are now underway to restore White Cedar in freshwater coastal areas from Maine to Georgia and the Gulf Coast. In the Carolinas, White Cedar stands are still found in in bogs in coastal and Sand Hills swamp forests. Atlantic White Cedar will grow nicely in upland sites and bear seeds, but a high water table is necessary for the tree to spread. It is not adapted to fire.

Key Info

Scientific Name: Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.
Common Names: Atlantic White Cedar, Southern White-cedar, White-cedar, Swamp-cedar, False-cypress
Family Names:
Plant Type:
Light Requirement: , ,
Moisture Requirement: ,
Leaf Retention:
Bloom Times: , ,
Flower Color: Green (female); Red to Yellow (male)
Special Characteristics: , , , ,

Additional Info

Habit: Upright, single-trunked tree with a long and narrow crown and short branches. The lower portion of tree loses branches at maturity; ash grey to reddish brown bark.
Height: 40'-75'
Spread: 10'-20'
Soil Conditions: Moist to wet, sandy soils
Leaves: The leaves are scale-like, blue-green, flattened against the stem, two per node.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: White Cedar is monoecious, so a single tree will carry both the pollen and seeds needed for reproduction in cones.The pollen cones are yellow but turn brown as the tree matures. The yellow pollen is shed once a year in spring. The seed cones are small and round, with 6-10 scales (1-2 seeds per scale), green or purple, maturing to brown in 5–7 months after pollination.
Fruit: See "Flowers"
Natural Distribution: Once dominated the great swamp forests of our coastal plain. Now North Carolina has the greatest number of old growth White Cedar swamps.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: OBL
Pollination: Wind
Wildlife Connections: Bird and squirrel nesting sites. Older gypsy moth caterpillars eat foliage .
Propagation: Seed germination is usually low and seed treatments fairly complex. Softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings are the principal means of propagation.