Updated
August 18, 2007
Thuja plicata: Western Red Cedar, Canoe Cedar, Pacific Red Cedar, Giant
Cedar, Giant Arborvitae, Shinglewood
Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress)
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A Note from Wally: I grow Thuja
plicata (Western Red Cedar, Canoe Cedar, Pacific Red Cedar, Giant Cedar,
Giant Arborvitae, Shinglewood) and many other Northwest Native Plants here
in my Nursery and Gardens in the Willamette Valley in Western Oregon. I
specialize in Northwest Native Plants and sell both Wholesale and Retail,
depending on quantity. I usually have plants available year-round in one
gallon containers and often in various other container sizes and as Bare
Root plants in the Winter months. This site is intended as a reference for
all who are interested in Northwest Native Plants: amateur, professional
– everyone. For more information, go to my Home Page at www.nwplants.com
and then click on Plant
Catalog for current prices and availability. Be sure and then click on
Plant Sales for any
bargains. If you buy in large quantities, check the Wholesale
Information Sites on my Home Page.
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If you have any information about this species – stories, climates,
uses, propagation, etc. please contact me at plants@nwplants.com
If I publish your tips and information, I will credit you on the web and
send you a credit memo.
The following article is by Staff Writer Jennifer Bosvert.
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One of the native giants of the Pacific
climax forest, this majestic evergreen also adapts well for use in the
garden. In the wild, one might
run across the western red cedar in boggy, lowland forests, or in the
Douglas fir and hemlock forests of the mountains. Among older trees western
red cedar is obvious and startlingly
green, because unlike its fir and hemlock peers, red cedar retains lower
branches as it gets larger. Thus
in a forest of magnificent brown tree trunks, western red cedar is an oasis
of green for the eye. Drooping
branches that flare out near the ends are adorned with lacy scale-like
leaves. Fanning out in thick
green swathes, the scale-like tendrils create a gradating pattern of color
as light hits the narrowly conical tree.
Although the giants of this species reach
200’ and 1,000 years of age on the Olympic Peninsula of western
Washington, they work beautifully in the garden. Not a true cedar (hence “red cedar”), this species grows to a
maximum of 130’-200’ at maturity with a trunk diameter of up to 10.’
In old growth forests, one can observe the enormous buttressed base
of the mature trees that spread out much broader than 10.’ Depending on exposure and the age of the tree, the bark appears
from its natural red color to a more weathered gray. The bark easily shreds off into soft reddish fibers and grows thin,
unlike the thick bark of its forest cousin, the Douglas fir. Branches tend to droop down and flare out to their endings in flat
scale-like green leaves. Apressed
to the twig, the 1.5-3 mm long leaves are green above, and show an
identifying white “butterfly” or “bow-tie” underneath where they
come together in a regular, repeating pattern. Male and female flowers are found on the same tree although usually
on separate branches. The
male cones appear small and reddish, and unlike the other native
“cedars,” the half-inch long female cones grow upright and bent back
along the branch. The young green cones resemble the bowl of a pipe and turn
bluish then ripen red-brown as they open into a small woody rosette. Ten
to twelve scales per cone is average, although usually only about six are
fertile and bear seed. When
walking nearby, the spicy, sweet smell of the western red cedar is
distinctly different from the other smells of the northwest forest and
very pleasant. This tree grows quickly, sometimes up to one meter per year,
however a tree of this species will need hundreds of years to achieve the
maximum size discussed above.
See Identification of False Cedars
for more information.
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Habitat and Range: Thuja plicata is found from Alaska to northern California,
and from the Pacific Ocean to Montana. It prefers the maritime climate of the coastal fog belt, but is
found also on dryer slopes, naturally occurring along the Pacific Ocean
from the Alaskan panhandle through British Columbia, Washington, Oregon
and just barely into northern California. In the interior, red cedar is found throughout the Cascades, and in
the wetter parts of the Rockies in British Columbia, northwestern Montana,
northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. In other regions of eastern Washington and Oregon,
Thuja plicata
is restricted to pockets in wet ravines and valleys. Red cedar grows in a variety of soil types and does very well in
boggy areas.
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(Click on picture for large view) |
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Ornamental Values:
While the mature size of the western red cedar might seem
intimidating, it has versatile garden uses. While its use as a vibrant tree is obvious in the yard, garden, or
park, young trees can also be planted and maintained as a hedge. The lacy foliage interweaves between the individual plants and can
be sheared or the terminal leaders topped to make a graceful screen or
hedge. Unlike other conifers, red cedar sprouts new foliage along the
trunk, making it an even more attractive hedge specimen. Western red cedar is hardy in Sunset zones 1-9 and 14-24, and is
hardy to USDA zone 4. As
mentioned above, Thuja plicata is happiest in the coastal fog belt,
however it grows well in drier soils, especially those a little richer. It can tolerate waterlogged soils, heavy clay and also shade (with
nutrients), but does not tolerate salt spray. Generally it does well in a climate of cool summers and wet, mild
winters. Growing at rates of
up to one meter per year, western red cedar can make a quick impact on the
yard or garden. Native Plant Gardening/Wildlife Habitat:
Western red cedar offers excellent cover from predators for birds and
squirrels. Birds, like
Towhees or Juncos, appreciate the cover provided by the persistent lower
limbs, and hummingbirds like to visit the new growth buds in the spring.
Like most conifers, the primary wildlife value of the western red cedar is found as winter shelter, cover from predators, and as a
nesting site in the spring.
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Restoration and Mitigation Values:
Western red cedars love to have their feet wet, and therefore are an
obvious choice for streamside and wetland restoration. Although shallow rooted, this tree thrives where most conifers will
not grow. Seedlings and young
trees transplant well and grow quickly which is especially helpful with
habitat stabilization. |
Western Red Cedars hedge--thick
and very effective |
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Historical and Cultural Uses:
Called “the tree of life” by the Kwakwaka’wakw of the central
coast of British Columbia, it surely was for Native Americans of the
Pacific Northwest. The myriad
uses are too many to name them all. Some
of the more famous uses included the construction of canoes (hence
“canoe cedar”), lodges and totem poles. Lodges were usually about 20’ wide and 40’ long, and the cedar
boards used to construct them were about 2” thick and 2’-5’ wide.
The wood was split in planks from living trees, using antler and
pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) wedges, and then the lodge timber
construction was held together with rope made from cedar bark. The red cedar canoes were such amazing vessels that about 1900, J.C.
Voss bought an average 38’ dugout red cedar canoe from Vancouver Island
Indians, and with the addition of 3 masts and a cabin, he used it to sail
around the world. Native Americans also used the fiber of the bark to make
clothes, raingear, mats, ropes, and was so soft that it was used in baby
diapers. The smaller, younger
roots, and narrow withes were used in basketry and to make fishing nets
and traps. Other various uses
include: wood for arrow and spear shafts, bark fibers for tinder and
wicks, wood for ceremonial carving, rattles and toilet sticks (prior to
the introduction of paper), and the low smoke, aromatic fire from red cedar
was favored for smoking salmon. It
should also be mentioned that Thuja plicata is the official tree of
British Columbia. Up until 1900,
one could still see the stumps near Orofino Idaho, of the western red
cedars that the Lewis and Clark expedition felled to make their canoes for
the western half of the Corps of Discovery.
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Edible and Medicinal Uses*:
Reportedly, Native Americans eat the spring cambium of Thuja
plicata fresh, or they dry it for eating later. The pitch is chewed like gum, and as mentioned above, the wood of
western red cedar is favored for smoking salmon.
Various infusions and decoctions of the bark and twigs of western red cedar were used historically by Native Americans to treat several
ailments, including: rheumatism, lung ailments, colds, fevers, and stomach
ailments.
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Mature trees at Reed College in
Portland, Oregon |
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*Please use caution when preparing or eating any parts of a plant.
Identification of the species and knowledge of a plant’s toxicity
are both essential before using any plant species medicinally or
otherwise. Please consult
with a health professional before attempting to treat any ailment.
Propagation Techniques:
In the wild, one can observe new red cedar trees sprouting readily
from fallen trunks and branches of nurse trees (along with the requisite
huckleberry of course). However,
for those of us without a nurse log in our backyard:
Seeds – Collect the cones from trees after they have turned from
yellow to brown, but before they open. Then dry on a plastic sheet for several days until the cones dry
and open. Shake the seeds
loose from the cones, and separate the seeds from the chaff with a light
fanning. Do not de-wing the seeds. The seeds germinate
well without stratification, however a cold moist stratification at low
temperatures can stimulate faster germination of stored seeds. In the spring sow at a depth of 0.5 cm in moist
soil. Shade for the first year.
Cuttings – Layering and cuttings work well. Cuttings taken of half-ripe wood in late summer will root in a
shaded cold frame by September (and should winter over in the frame).
Common Diseases:
Thuja plicata is relatively disease free and makes a nice
alternative to Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), which
is threatened by the root rot, Pytophthora. The primary risks to western red cedar are trunk and
root butt rots, however these generally affect only old trees. The acidity of the bark keeps it free of moss, lichens or
fungi. Although not strictly
a disease, young trees should be protected from browsing by deer.
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See
also these websites within www.nwplants.com:
Complete
Online Catalog
How
to Order
Landscaping
with Native Plants
Seasonal
Sales
Wholesale Plants
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Thanks, and happy gardening!
Wally
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References:
Arno, Stephen F. Northwest
Trees. The
Mountaineers: Seattle WA, 1977
Gardenbed.com. http://www.gardenbed.com/t/3887.asp
Accessed 4/2002
Hartzell, Hal Jr. The Yew Tree: A Thousand
Whispers. Hulogosi: Eugene OR, 1991
Hitchcock, C. Leo and
Arthur Cronquist. Flora of
the Pacific Northwest. University
of Washington Press: Seattle, 1973
Jensen, Edward C. and
Charles R. Ross. Trees to
Know in Oregon. Oregon
State University and Oregon Department of Forestry, 1994
Kruckeberg, Arthur R. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific
Northwest. University of Washington Press: Seattle, 1996
Mathews, Daniel. Cascade-Olympic Natural History. Raven Editions in conjunction with the Portland Audubon Society,
1988
Moerman, Daniel E. Native
American Ethnobotany. Timber
Press: Portland OR, 1998
Peattie, Donald Culross. A Natural History of Western Trees.
Houghton Mifflin: Boston MA, 1950
Pojar, Jim, and Andy MacKinnon. Plants of the
Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone
Pine Publishing:
Vancouver BC, 1994
Rose, Robin, Caryn E.C. Chachulski and Diane L. Haase. Propagation of Pacific Northwest Native
Plants. Oregon State University Press: Corvallis OR, 1998
Thwaites, Reuben Gold, Editor. Original Journals
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804-1806. New York: Arno Press,
1969
US Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/ thupli/index.html,
accessed 4/2002
Western Garden Book. Sunset: Menlo Park CA, 1995
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