NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Chamaecyparis thyoides

Atlantic White Cedar, Juniper

Scientific Name:	Chamaecyparis thyoides
Genus:	Chamaecyparis
Species Epithet:	thyoides
Common Name:	Atlantic White Cedar, Juniper
Plant Type	Tree
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Cupressaceae (Cypress Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	36-72 ft.
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	March, April
Growing Area:	Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Peat dome and streamhead pocosins, blackwater stream swamps, hillside seepages, in highly acidic, peaty or sandy soils.
Leaf Retention:	Evergreen
Leaf Type:	Leaves needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Nothing Specified
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Has some wildlife value
Landscape Value:	Suitable for home landscapes
State Rank:	S3: Vulnerable ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G4 - Apparently Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	This was the major boat building material along the Atlantic Coast for many years. In eastern NC, it is called simply "Juniper" and persons speak of going out in a Juniper Skiff. Juniper lumber looks very similar to Bald Cypress but is slightly lighter than cypress. The tree has even been called "Boat Juniper" in some areas. Juniper is more tolerant to salt spray and salt water than is cypress. Some feel that we should be planting it in the low areas of eastern NC as a long term hedge against the ravages of sea level rise. Juniper grows in single species thickets and the trees grow very close together, even after they are large trees. Provides cover for birds and wildlife. building, shingles, and other uses. The wood is valuable enough (and resistant enough to rot) to have been mined from bogs in NJ. NC has some of the largest remaining stands of Atlantic White Cedar, in areas of very difficult access, such as the interiors of major peat-domes and large peat-filled Carolina bays.
Young Cones Jack Spruill Hamstead, NC April
Mature Cones Jack Spruill Hamstead, NC Jan.
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record Duke Trees