Thuja occidentalis

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Thuja occidentalis

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Kemper Code: C246

Common Name: American arborvitae
Zone: 2 to 7
Plant Type: Needled evergreen
Family: Cupressaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: Eastern North America
Height: 20 to 40 feet
Spread: 10 to 15 feet
Bloom Time: -
Bloom Color: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low

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Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Where is this species invasive in the US?

Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Somewhat wide range of soil tolerance, but prefers moist, neutral to alkaline, well-drained loams (especially of some limestone content). Intolerant of dry conditions. Best in full sun, but generally appreciates some light afternoon shade in hot summer climates such as the St. Louis area. Avoid full shade. Avoid exposed, windy sites.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Thuja occidentalis, commonly known as American arborvitae, Eastern arborvitae, Eastern white cedar or Northern white cedar, is a dense, conical to narrow-pyramidal (sometimes maturing to broad-pyramidal), often single-trunked, evergreen tree that is native to eastern and central Canada south to northern Illinois, Ohio and New York with scattered populations further south in the Appalachians to North Carolina. It is often found in the wild in low areas, wet forests and swamps and less frequently in some dryish sites. Mature trees may reach 40-60’ tall in the wild over time, but in cultivation typically grow much smaller to 20-30’ tall. Scale-like, aromatic, yellow-green to green foliage appears in flattened sprays. Erect seed cones (1/2” long) are not particularly showy. Red-brown bark will exfoliate on mature branches and trunks. The common name of arborvitae (tree of life) comes from early French settlers to North America who learned from Native Americans that the tree’s foliage could be used to treat scurvy.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems. Leaf blight may cause some foliage to spot and drop. Watch for canker. Leaf miner may damage leaf tips. Bagworms, mealybug, scales and spider mites are occasional visitors. Foliage may show some winter burn (turns yellow-brown) in exposed sites. Susceptible to damage/stem breakage in winter from ice and snow accumulations.

Uses:

Foundations and landscapes. A very large number of compact to dwarf cultivars of this plant have become very popular.