Port Orford Cedar

Port Orford Cedar, widely known for its quality of wood and horticultural uses, is a conifer native to northwest California and southwest Oregon. It is found at an elevation of 4,900 ft (1,500 m) in the valleys of Klamath River.

It has feathery, bluish-green foliage with the pollen cones above and the young seed cones appearing below. Its scale-like leaves have white marks below, and they are found on flattened young twigs. Lawson Cypress, as it is commonly called in horticulture, has a scaly and fibrous bark that is reddish-brown in color.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Pinophyta
Class	Pinopsida
Order	Pinales
Family	Cupressaceae
Genus	Chamaecyparis
Scientific Name	Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Quick Information

Other Names	Pacific White Cedar, Pacific White Cypress, Port Orford Cypress, Oregon Cypress, Ginger Pine, False Cypress
Similar to	Extinct conifer species Chamaecyparis eureka, as revealed from its fossil foliage found on the Canadian Axel Heiberg Island
Size	Large trees; when matured, they may attain a height of over 197 ft (60m); their trunk diameter is 4-7 ft (1.2-2m), crown spread of about 5m
Leaves	3-5mm long, arranged in crossed or intersected pairs; dead leaves are shed collectively in sprays
Cones	Globular form; have a diameter of 7-14mm with 6-10 scales; the young female cones are green while the mature ones are brown; the male cones are smaller than the female cones and have a red color
Tree Type	Evergreen
Shape at Maturity	Acute or acuminate at the apex
Distribution/Range	Coastal areas of northern California and southern Oregon; southern Coos County, northern Curry County in Oregon; Klamath, Illinois, Trinity, Sacramento, and Rogue River drainages; also in the Siskiyou and Mount Shasta region
Hardiness Zones	5-8
Lifespan	Long-lived; can survive over 350 years in the forest
Growth Rate	Moderate and consistent; annual height growth is 1.15 ft (0.35 m)
Growing Conditions	Humidity: High humidity at night, though some places in the valley are dry during the day; the coastal areas remain foggy Winter Conditions: Cold and wet winters; tolerant to a temperature of -15°C and a snowpack of 3-7 ft Summer Conditions: Warm and dry Rain: Moderate to high annual precipitation, typically 39-89 inches Sunlight: Full sunlight as well as partial shade Soil Requirements: Well-drained, moist soils; grows on sand dunes, the edges of intermittent streams, bogs, productive soils derived from diorite and sedimentary rocks, as also on drier soil derived from ultramafic rocks
Diseases	Phytophthora lateralis, an oomycete pathogen causes a root rot that may kill the tree; damage is also caused by drought, wind, and snow; it is sensitive to air pollutants including high levels of nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide
Flowering/Fruiting	Development of reproductive organs starts during spring-summer; formation of bladderless pollen is in late winter, and the pollen cones are shed in mid-March; fertilization takes place in April or May, and the seeds mature during September-October
Seed production starts	At 5-20 years of age
Seed bearing frequency	Seeds produced every year, but heavy production of seeds takes place every 4-5 years
Dispersal of Seeds	About 90% of the seeds are dispersed during Sep-May
Germination	Mid to late June
Wildlife Value	Deer, elk, and some domestic animals graze on the leaves and twigs of Port Orford Cedar; Douglas squirrels eat the seeds and cones; rabbits and mountain beavers feed on the foliage of young trees while the porcupines and woodrats love eating the bark
Cultivars	Hundreds of cultivars have been used in horticulture including Ellwoodii, Aurea Densa, Lanei Aurea, Wisselii, Chilworth Silver, Fletcheri, Little Spire, Gimbornii, Ellwood’s Gold, Kilmacurragh, Minima glauca, Stardust, and Pemberry Blue
Uses	Originally used as lumber for constructing houses, building ships, manufacture of furniture, and timbers for mine excavations; now commonly used for making boxes, toys, yardsticks, shelves, tables, cabinets, moldings, arrow shafts, soundboards on guitars, decking, lawn furniture, doors, handles, and boats; the logs are also exported to Japan for their similarity with Hinoki wood used in constructing temples and traditional houses
IUCN Conservation Status	Near Threatened

Interesting Facts

• After its discovery by the natives of Port Orford, this species of cedar trees was first cultivated in 1854 by the collectors at the Scottish nursery Lawson & Son. This inspired botanist Andrew Murray to name these trees as Lawson Cypress.
• The foliage of Port Orford cedar has a distinctive pungent smell.

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana
2. http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/port_orford_cedar/#.VlvcL9IrLcc
3. http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Plants/port_orford_cedar.htm
4. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/serpentines/conservation/poc_conservation.shtml