Japanese name: ニオイヒバ（匂檜葉、匂桧葉） Scientific name:Thuja occidentalis
[Overview]
An evergreen coniferous tree 15 m tall.
The branches extend horizontally, giving a conical tree shape.
The leaves are decussate (in opposite pairs at right angles) and flat and scale-like.
The leaf color changes to brown in winter.
There are male and female flowers, both borne at the tips of short shoots.
The cones are about 0.8 cm long, elliptic to ovate, and woody.
The seeds are winged.
[Uses]
The essential oil is used medicinally and as a fragrance.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings, but plants grown from seed take time to mature.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
Cultivars with golden or variegated leaves develop poor leaf color if the light is poor.
For potted plants, and for plants in the ground less than 2 years after planting, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
Especially for potted plants, take care, as drying out causes the leaves to be damaged and turn brown.
For established plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer around the plant as fertilizer in winter.
Pests and diseases include scarab beetles and bagworms (Psychidae).
