Smithsonian Gardens

Common name: Atlantic White Cedar, White Cedar False Cypress, Atlantic White Cypress, Southern White Cedar, Swamp Cedar, White Cedar

Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress)

Distribution: E USA

Habitat: Pure tree stands in bogs and swamps, along streams, 1-450 meters

Hardiness: -30 - 20 F

Life form: Evergreen tree

Foliage characteristics: Juvenile leaves are needle-like, soft, and blue-green. Mature leaves are scale-like and grow in fan-shaped sprays.

Ethnobotanical uses: Wood's resistance to decay, hardiness, and visual appeal have made it a popular choice for shingles, posts, finishes, ties, and telephone poles.

Bark characteristics: Exfoliating, reddish brown bark is ridged and frequently twists around tree.

Average height: 30-50'

Structure: Columnar

Cone characteristics: Seed cones are globose, emerge blue-purple, mature to red-brown, and have 5-7 scales which attach in the middle. .15-.35" diameter. Pollen cones are yellow and found at the ends of stems.

Timber: Excellent resistance to decay.

Description: The Atlantic white cedar is the only member of its genus native to the east coast. As its native boggy habitat disappears to cranberry production and development, and it is harvested for its wood, the large stands of white cedar that once existed have shrunk. Now, the tree is Rare in Georgia and New York, of Special Concern in Maine, and has been Extirpated in Pennsylvania.
The Atlantic white cedar is sometimes confused with arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis). Arborvitae can be distinguished from the white cedar by its flatter branches with more rounded appearing leaves, and more elongated cones.