Northern white-cedar

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More names for this plant

Anishinaabemowin: Giizhikaandag

Dakota: Ḣaŋteṡa çaŋ (cedar tree)

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website.

Latin (or scientific name): Thuja occidentalis

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

More common names: Arborvitae, white cedar

Page contents

About the northern white-cedar

Visual guide to phenology

More resources

A white cedar tree in this image is over twenty feet tall, growing at the side of a skiiing trail.
Northern white-cedar silhouetted against the sky.
February 26, 2017, Cook County, Minnesota
Photo © Joe Walewski, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About the northern white-cedar

  • This conifer has flat, scale-like needles that cover its twigs and branches. The trunk is often twisted and its bark peels away in shreds.
  • Northern white-cedar grows in damp, cool environments, for example, bogs.
  • The needles are aromatic and rich in vitamin C.
  • Northern white-cedar is dioecious, meaning it bears both male pollen and female seed cones. The female cones are light green and egg-shaped. They ripen in clusters at the ends of twigs.
  • Fun fact: The wood is very durable and rot-resistant. Many Native American tribes have traditional uses for the wood, such as making canoes and cradle boards.

Visual guide to phenology

Scaly needles are present year-round. Watch for the appearance and changing status of cones.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing northern white-cedar phenology. However, this page does not instruct observers on how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

Close-up photo showing scale-shaped leaves. Behind the leaves, a large tree trunk is visible and it has grayish brown bark in long, flattened vertical ridges.
At the tip of green scaly branchlets are clusters of tan scales with black tips. These are the female cones.
At the tip of green, scaly branchlets are male cones. They are very small, only 1/16 inch long, and have brownish scales.
These green branches bear many unripe seed cones. The seed cones have closed scales and are pale green.
The unripe seed cones on this branch have turned from green to a tannish-green. Their scales are still closed. They contrast against the darker green scaly leaves.
Two ripe fruit cones on this branch are a reddish-brown color and a woody, dry texture. Their scales are open.

More resources

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

 

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Co-author: Audrey Negro, Minnesota Master Naturalist