Atlantic White Cedar – Chamaecyparis thyoides

Evergreen, aromatic tree with narrow, pointed, spirelike crown and slender, horizontal branches. Height: 50-90 ft. Diameter: 1.5-2 inches.

Leaves: evergreen, opposite, scalelike, dull blue-green.

Bark: reddish-brown, thin, finbrous, with narrow connecting or forking ridges, becomes scaly and loose. Twigs: very slender, slightly flattened or partly 4-angled, irregularly branched.

Habitat: wet, peaty, acid soils, forming pure stands in swamp forests.

Ancient logs buried in swamps have been mined and found to be well preserved and suitable for lumber. Pioneers prized the durable wood for log cabins, including floors and shingles. During the Revolutionary War, the wood produced charcoal for gunpowder. As an ornamental, this species is the hardiest of its genus northward.