Platycladus orientalis (Chinese thuja, "Konotegashiwa")

Japanese name: コノテガシワ （児手柏）
Scientific name: Platycladus orientalis

[Overview]
An evergreen coniferous tree up to 20 m tall with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter.
The bark splits lengthwise and peels off in long, thin strips.
The branches are dense and almost upright, and the tree shape is spherical to oblong-elliptic.
The leaves are in decussate pairs, scale-like, and stand upright in a palmate arrangement, so it is hard to distinguish the upper and lower surfaces.
Both male and female flowers are borne at the tips of twigs; the male flowers are spherical and release a large amount of pollen.
The female flowers are ovoid to oblong-elliptic.
The cones are 1–1.5 cm long, angular and pale grayish blue.

[History]
It came to Japan in the Edo period.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It is not particular about soil as long as the site is sunny and well drained.
For potted plants and for plants within 2 years of being planted in the ground, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants established in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer as fertilizer in winter, in holes dug around the plant.
It is often grown in its natural shape, so shearing and pruning are not particularly necessary, but crowded branches and dead leaves inside the crown should be removed from autumn to winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name compares the upright, flat branches to a child raising its hands.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)