Arbor Vitaes

Genus THUYA, Linn.

Evergreen resinous ornamental trees of slender, pyramidal habit, with intricately branched limbs, and flat, open spray. Leaves scale-like, 4-ranked, minute, closely appressed to twigs. Flowers solitary, terminal, small aments, monoecious, scaly. Fruits erect, loose, ovoid cones, of few thin scales; seeds few, usually two. Uses: trees especially adapted for formal gardens, clipped hedges and shelter belts. Wood variously employed.

Four distinct species of Thuya are recognised. Two are native to Japan and China. The Chinese T. orientalis, one of the most popular decorative evergreens, is cultivated especially in Southern gardens. It is offered in several varieties. T. Japonica is a hardy species of lusty growth with white spots on the dark green of its leaf linings. A Japanese genus, Thuyopis, with one species, is one of the handsomest of Oriental evergreens introduced into cultivation here. It is hardy to Massachusetts, but suffers from drought. Its flat, frond-like spray resembles arbor vitae, from which the genus is distinguished by having 4 to 5 ovules under each scale of the cone.

Arbor Vitae Tree
Giant Arbor Vitae or Red Cedar Tree