| Thuja Linnaeus 1753Common NamesArborvitae, thuya, cèdre (2).Taxonomic notesDescription"Trees evergreen, small to large. Branchlets flattened, in fan-shaped, flattened, frondlike sprays. Leaves opposite in 4 ranks. Adult leaves heteromorphic; those on larger branchlets with sharp, erect, free apices to ca. 2 mm; those on flattened lateral branchlets crowded, appressed, scalelike, lateral pairs keeled, facial pairs flat; abaxial glands present or absent. Pollen cones with 2-6 pairs of sporophylls, each sporophyll with 2-4 pollen sacs. Seed cones maturing and opening first year, ellipsoid, (6)9-14(18) mm; scales persistent, 4-6 pairs, overlapping, oblong and basifixed, thin and woody, 2-3 central pairs fertile, uniformly thin or with slightly enlarged apex, remaining scales sterile. Seeds 1-3 per scale, lenticular, equally 2-winged; cotyledons 2. x = 11" (2).RangeNorth America, E Asia (2).Big TreeSee T. plicata.OldestDendrochronologyEthnobotanyObservationsRemarks"Thuya" was a Greek name for some evergreen, resinous trees (2).Arborvitae (Latin for tree of life), common name for certain related evergreen trees of the cypress family, so named early in the 17th century because of the medicinal value ascribed to their balsamic resin. Extracts of this resin increase blood pressure and reduce fever. The leaves have a fragrant, balsamlike odor. The wood is reddish, light, and durable. Some of the larger species are valuable timber trees. The smaller species are cultivated in gardens and as wind screens for more tender plants (1). Citations(1) Encarta 97.(2) Kenton L. Chambers at the Flora of North America web page. | |
[Thuja] [Cupressaceae] [home] This page is from the Gymnosperm Database |