Chamaecyparis thyoides
| Chamaecyparis thyoides | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |    |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 33' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chamaecyparis thyoides (common name: white cypress)
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a seedbed outdoors[1]. The seed is best sown in pots in a frame[K]. Seed can take 18 months to germinate. One month warm then one month cold stratification has produced good results[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings in late summer or autumn in sandy soil in a cold frame[3][4][5]. Difficult, it may be best done in late winter to early spring[2].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils and situations, but prefers abundant moisture and a deep loamy soil and a sheltered position[3][4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Survives on dry alkaline soils[5]. Growth of trees is hardly affected by a lack of phosphate in the soil. Plants are moderately shade tolerant, especially when young[6][5]. Plants are tolerant of atmospheric pollution according to one report[5], whilst another says that they do not do well in a polluted atmosphere[3]. This species is especially well adapted for planting in cold wet places[3].
Plants are hardy to about -35°c[5].
A long-lived tree in the wild with specimens more than 1,000 years old[7]. It is slow growing in cultivation[5], trees rarely grow more than 20cm in a year[8]. The branches become brittle with age[3].
A very polymorphic species, there are many named varieties[5].
The crushed foliage has a rather gingery hot aroma[8].
Favoured by many birds for roosting, high cover and especially for nesting, large specimens of this tree help to attract songbirds to the garden[5].
Trees are notably susceptible to honey fungus[5].
Range: Eastern N. America - Maine, south to Florida and west to Mississippi.
Habitat: Cold, swampy often inundated ground, frequently forming dense pure forests[4][9][6][10]. The best specimens are found in acid peat beds[7].
Medicinal: A decoction of the leaves has been used as a herbal steam for treating headaches and backaches[11]. A poultice made from the crushed leaves and bark has been applied to the head to treat headaches[11].
Usage: Plants can be grown as a tall hedge[5] They are very tolerant of clipping so long as this does not extend into the brown barked wood since trees cannot regenerate from this[5]. Any trimming should be done in the summer[5].
Wood - soft, not strong, close grained, very durable, easily worked, light, slightly fragrant. It weighs 21lb per cubic foot. It is commonly used for woodenware, cooperage, fence posts, interior finish of houses etc[9][12][13][10][14][15]. Wood found buried in swamps for hundreds of years is perfectly sound and not water-logged[4].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Pollution: Does not tolerate environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: C. sphaeroidea. Cupressus thyoides. Thuja sphaeroidea.
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.