A tall, upright, evergreen tree with an ascending taper until a prominent tip becomes distinct(it's sometimes described as flame shaped).
The foliage is scale-like and the branches and branchlets are upturned at the ends..
A very hardy tree, able to withstand salt, pollution, frost and temporary inundation (and it looks good too).
A very fast and dense grower. this is the most popular screening plant.
Best kept trimmed to 5m high max.
Cultivars include:
'Leightons Green' has grey/green leaves that darken with age.
'Naylor's Blue' has greyish blue leaves with a paler underneath. The bluish colour becomes more intense after rain.
'Robinson's Gold'- the foliage is yellow and scale-like and turns golden bronze in spring.
'Silver Dust' the foliage is dark green with silver speckles throughout the foliage cover.