Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

American Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis (THU-ya ock-sih-den-TAH-liss)

Family: Cupressaceae Native Canopy (>40 ft)

American arborvitae is a woody, needled evergreen tree in the cypress family (Cupressaceae) that is native to eastern and central Canada and the eastern and north-central portions of the United States. The species epithet, occidentalis , means from the Western world. American arborvitae is a low-maintenance plant that tolerates clay soil, wet sites, black walnut, and air pollution. It grows best in moist, neutral to alkaline, well-drained loam. It does not tolerate dry or exposed, windy sites; the foliage can become winter-burned (yellow-brown). It grows well in full sun or partial shade, but in full shade, the foliage will thin out dramatically. This tree does best in soil with high moisture content and in areas with high atmospheric moisture. It is easily transplanted. It is susceptible to damage including stem breakage in winter from ice and snow accumulations. Cultivars are typically globular, pyramidal, or columnar to conical in growth form. Its density crown provides nesting sites for songbirds. A distinctive feature of this tree is its dominant trunk. The bark is grayish-brown to reddish-brown with shallow furrows. Small oblong cones appear in the spring, mature to a brown color in the summer, and may persist. Use this tree in the landscape as a specimen in a foundation planting, recreational play area, native, or winter garden. Planted in groups it performs well as a hedge, privacy screen, or windbreak. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Damage from deer browsing can be a serious problem. Leaf miners may damage leaf tips. Bagworms, mealybugs, scales, and spider mites are occasional visitors. Canker can occasionally be a problem. VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “ Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping ” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University . More information on Thuja .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 63 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 1 - Canopy (>40 ft) Optimal soil pH Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
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.

Often confused with Chamaecyparis obtusa Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea' Chamaecyparis thyoides Platycladus orientalis
Fills a similar niche Betula nigra Taxodium distichum Tsuga canadensis
Similar, less problematic Hesperocyparis arizonica

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Native Plant; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
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 texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Pyramidal
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Slippery
Leaf value
Fragrant; Showy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are scale-like in adults, ovate, obtuse to bluntly acute, yellowish green to grayish green below bearing a pustular gland near the apex, appressed to branchlets in opposite pairs, each pair overlapping the adjacent pair above. The scale-like leaves are darker green on the upper surface and paler below, and they appear bronze colored during the winter months.
Flower detail
Conifer, non-flowering.
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The cone is oblong and light brown and measures 1/3 to 1/2 inches long It is yellow when young.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Light Brown; Light Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
The attractive grayish brown to reddish-brown bark has shallow furrows. On mature trees, the bark exfoliates on the branches and trunks. A distinctive feature of this tree is its dominant trunk.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
The stems are thin and green to brown. They are resistant to breakage.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central & E. Canada to N. Central and Eastern North America
Distribution
NC and TN, north through eastern Canada, and west to IL and WI.
Wildlife value
American arborvitae provides nesting sites for songbirds, as well as cover, especially in the winter, for white-tailed deer, which both feed on the branches and use them for shelter from the cold.
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Play value
Fragrance; Screening; Wildlife Cover/Habitat; Wildlife Nesting; Wind Break
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer

Uses (ethnobotany)

The essential oils from this plant have been used in cleaners, insecticides, soaps, room sprays and hair care products. The young, inner bark of the new stems is known to have been used to make soup by the Ojibwa tribe. The wood is used in fencing and posts, cabin logs, lumber, poles, shingles, paneling, piling, lagging, pails, potato barrels, tubs, ties, boats, tanks, woodenware. Twigs have been used in some teas for relief of constipation and headache.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Recreational Play Area
Landscape theme
Garden for the Blind; Native Garden; Rock Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Foundation Planting; Hedge; Screen/Privacy; Specimen
Garden tags
#conical #low maintenance #evergreen #air pollution tolerant #large tree #native tree #children's garden #fantz #Braham Arboretum #NC native #foundation planting #interesting bark #specimen #dendrology #medicinal #clay soils tolerant #bird friendly #food source summer #Piedmont Mountains FACW #coastal UPL #food source herbage #food source hard mast fruit #Audubon #mccarthy memorial garden #black walnut toxicity tolerant #exfoliating bark #wet soils tolerant #playground plant #landscape plant sleuths course #wildlife friendly #small mammals #deer browsing plant #fragrant needles #HS111 #HS303 #hortcontest #winter cover #nesting site #screen #fpp
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Pests of Conifers; Arborvitae Leafminer
Disease problems
Southern Blight of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Resistant to
Black Walnut; Pollution; Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
Tolerates clay soil, wet sites, black walnut and air pollution.

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

📍 Add a planting 📝 Add to wish list