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Eastern Arbor-Vitae

Platycladus orientalis (plat-ee-KLAD-us or-ee-en-TAY-liss)

Family: Cupressaceae Non-native Understory (15-40 ft)

Grows as a dense, conical to columnar tree/shrub. Tends to open up as it ages. Benefitted by good air circulation. Its leaves will emit an odor when bruised. This plant is tolerant of most conditions with the exception of wet, boggy sites. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Healthy, well-maintained trees have few problems. Scout for bagworms and spider mites. Snow and ice weight can break branches in the winter.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 47 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Similar, less problematic Hesperocyparis arizonica

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 18 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Columnar; Conical
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Triangular scale-like yellowish-green leaves start out as flattened sprays, becoming darker green with age. Bronzes in winter.
Flower color
Green
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Oval cones
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Blue; Brown/Copper
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Seed is inside the cone. The tiny oval seeds start yellow and turn light brown as they mature. When cones open, they look like roses.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Reddish-brown
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China, Korea, Russiian Far East
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Play value
Buffer; Screening; Textural; Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Pond; Recreational Play Area; Walkways; Woodland
Landscape theme
Children's Garden
Design feature
Foundation Planting; Hedge; Mass Planting; Screen/Privacy; Specimen
Garden tags
#yellow-green #scales #full sun tolerant #needles #evergreen #specimen #children's garden #buffer #small mammals #fantz #bird friendly #playground plant #showy cones #hedge #wildlife friendly #HS304 #winter cover #screen
Problems & Resistance
Propagation
Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.