FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Evergreen needles are "flat". The wood is highly desirable, so this species was extensively logged in the past. Old-growth and extensive stands are now uncommon. However, it remains an important species to be able to distinguish.
Synonym(s): Chamaecyparis henryae
Description: Medium-sized evergreen tree to 28 m in height.
Leaves: Flattened, scale-like leaves, 1 to 3 millimeters (mm) long and green on both sides.
Flowers/Fruit: Small inconspicuous cones; male cone is 2 mm long and female cone is spherical, 6 mm diameter, blue-black with a crumpled appearance. Blooms March/April; fruits October/November.
Habit and Range: Acidic swamps of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, generally in peaty soils or other poorly drained areas. Can grow in dense stands to the exclusion of other trees, but is generally uncommon.
Taxonomic Note: Not native in the Piedmont.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar) is a similar upland tree, with flattened needles branching in many planes instead of one main fan-like plane as in Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar).
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
