Thuja occidentalis
Thuja occidentalis | |
---|---|
Leaves and immature cones | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Cupressales
|
Family: | Cupressaceae |
Genus: | Thuja |
Species: | T. occidentalis
|
Binomial name | |
Thuja occidentalis | |
Natural range |
Thuja occidentalis, also known as northern white-cedar,
Common names
Its additional common names include swamp cedar,[3] American arborvitae,[4] and eastern arborvitae.[4] The name arborvitae is particularly used in the horticultural trade in the United States; it is Latin for 'tree of life' – due to the supposed medicinal properties of the sap, bark, and twigs.[5] It is sometimes called white-cedar (hyphenated) or whitecedar (one word)[4] to distinguish it from Cedrus, the true cedars.[6]
Description
Unlike the closely related western red cedar (Thuja plicata), northern white cedar is only a small or medium-sized tree, growing to a height of 15 m (49 ft) tall with a 0.9 m (3.0 ft) trunk diameter, exceptionally to 38 metres (125 ft) tall and 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) diameter.[7] The tree is often stunted or prostrate in less favorable locations. The bark is red-brown, furrowed and peels in narrow, longitudinal strips. Northern white cedar has fan-like branches and scaly leaves. The
The
Taxonomy
The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Over 30 synonyms are listed in Kew's Plants of the World Online database.[8]
Distribution
Northern white cedar is
Ecology
Northern white cedar grows naturally in wet forests, being particularly abundant in
Specimens found growing on cliff faces in southern Ontario are the oldest trees in Eastern North America and all of Canada, having achieved ages in excess of 1,653 years.[4]
Uses
Thuja occidentalis is commercially used for rustic fencing and posts, lumber, poles, shingles, and in the construction of
The essential oil within the plant has been used for cleansers, disinfectants, hair preparations, insecticides, liniment, room sprays, and soft soaps. The Ojibwa reportedly made a soup from the inner bark of the soft twigs. Others have used the twigs to make teas to relieve constipation and headache.[13]
Eastern white cedar – as arborvitae – is a popular ornamental plant used in both residential and commercial landscapes.
Thuja occidentalis has important uses in traditional
Cultivation
T. occidentalis is widely used as an
See also
- Chamaecyparis thyoides
- Eastern red cedar
References
- ^ .
- ^ a b Brouillet L. et al. 2010+. "Thuja occidentalis Linnaeus". data.canadensys.net. Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN). Retrieved 3 October 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Thuja occidentalis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ a b c d e f g Earle, Christopher J., ed. (2018). "Thuja occidentalis". The Gymnosperm Database.
- ^ Thuja, American Cancer Society, last revised 6/19/2007. available online
- ^ "The Cedars" (PDF). 2004.
- ^ a b Chambers, Kenton L. (1993). "Thuja occidentalis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 24 September 2016 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ "Thuja occidentalis L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Johnston, William F. (1990). "Thuja occidentalis". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Conifers. Silvics of North America. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
- ^ "Eastern OLDLIST. Thuja occidentalis". Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, Inc. & Eastern Kentucky University. 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "Eastern OLDLIST a database of ancient trees and their ages". Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, Inc. & Eastern Kentucky University. 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- S2CID 24297929.
- ^ a b "USDA/NRCS Plant Guide: Northern White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis L." (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ Geniusz, Wendy Makoons (2009). Our Knowledge is not Primitive. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector – Thuja occidentalis 'Danica'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Thuja occidentalis 'Golden Tuffet'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector – Thuja occidentalis 'Holmstrup'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector – Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector – Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.