Western Redcedar
November 9, 2022
By Adam Huggins
Western Redcedar
Thuja plicata
- Hul’qumi’num Name: xpey’
- Description: Coniferous tree growing up to 60m tall. Bark is fibrous and reddish-brown. Branches droop and curve upward, leaves are green and scale-like. Produces small (~1cm in length) egg-shaped cones.
- Habitat: Prefers wet areas and shaded forests but can be found in drier sites.
- Pair with: Douglas-fir, evergreen huckleberry, salal, false lily-of-the-valley, Oregon grape, and sword fern.
- Fun Fact: Also known as ‘Giant Arborvitae’, which translates to ‘tree of life’. Some of the oldest known western redcedars are around 1400 years old. An important cultural keystone species.
