Thuja plicata

Planted: 1912

At the south end of the East Walk

Distribution:	Native to Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California.
Planting Date:	1912, planted by Captain Chaplin in his pinetum.
Growth Habit:	A slender pyramidal tree and unless close planted retains its branches to the ground.
Bark:	Reddish-brown and striated in long narrow strips that are often partially lifted.
Leaf:	Dark green and scale like 2 to 3 mm long and slightly aromatic when crushed.
Flowers:
Fruit:	Cones are egg-shaped 12 mm long, scales about 10 with a small triangular boss just below the apex.
Toxicity:
Potential tree size:	Up to 60m in the wild.
Uses:	Wide range of traditional uses and in modern construction.
Plant Hunter:	George Don (1798 – 1856) a Scottish botanist and plant collector.
Introduction Date:	1824
Anecdotes and Comments:	Often confused with Thuya gigantia and Thuya Lobbii which were both introduced later. Cedars were called ‘the tree of life’ by the indigenous peoples of north west America. The bark for clothing and shelter, the wood for tools and canoes and also figured widely in spiritual healing and mythology.