Leaf
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lawson's cypress
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A.Murray bis) Parl.
Also known as: Port Orford cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
15 to 25 m tall when mature, often clipped lower as a hedge
Planted as a hedge or specimen in gardens, exists in a great many cultivars of varying colour and habit
Flowering: March – April (flowering barely visible)
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Susceptible to a pathogenic fungus that has considerably reduced its wild populations in North America, it nonetheless remains one of the most widely grown hedging conifers in Europe.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, flat scales arranged in a fan, green to bluish or golden depending on the cultivar, distinctive smell when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Small reddish male cones at the tips of the shoots in spring
🍎 Fruits
Small round cones, blue-green then brown, with few scales
🪵 Bark
Reddish-brown, fibrous, peeling in strips
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the western United States, Oregon and California
✂️ Horticultural uses
Widely used as a screening hedge and as a specimen; countless dwarf, golden or bluish cultivars exist for ornamental use
🌱 Known cultivars
'Ellwoodii'
This cultivar forms a compact conical shrub with dense, soft, blue-grey juvenile foliage, very different from the large pyramidal tree with green foliage of the type species.
🌿 Other Cupressaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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