Description

Key Information: 

Soil: Medium (Mesic)
Sun: Full Sun – Part Sun
Height: 20-40 ft
Fruit: Red, brown
Leaf: Evergreen

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Very tolerant of a wide range of soil types and moisture levels but does not tolerate dry soils. Prefers some local shelter from harsh winds. Resilient and can grow to be very old!

Native Range: The southern part of the eastern half of Canada and the adjacent northern part of the United States.

Habitat: Provides nesting sites, cover and food for a variety of birds and small mammals.

Name: Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is also called eastern white-cedar, arborvitae, and swamp-cedar. The name arborvitae or “tree of life” dates from the 16th century when the French explorer Cartier learned from First Nations people how to use the tree’s foliage to treat scurvy (the sap contains vitamin C).

Indigenous names: Ȟaŋté (Dakota, Lakota), giizhik (Anishinaabemowin)

More information: USDA plant profile

Image credit:  Brynn – Own work, CC BY-SA