Port Orford cypress is a needled evergreen tree in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family. It is native to northern California and Oregon from sea level to 4900 feet. Port Orford cypress is a large tree up to 180 feet tall with ascending branches and tips that droop giving it a pendulous look. This tree prefers moist but well-drained soils in full sun with some wind protection. This tree is large and rarely used as an ornamental but there are over 300 cultivars available that are more useful as a specimen tree The aromatic wood is light and strong with rot resistance and is often exported to Japan for use in coffins, shrines and temples. The straight grain of the wood make it ideal for making arrows and stringed instruments. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Phytophthora lateralis is a big problem for this tree. There are now trees on resistant rootstock that are available. VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet; more than 60 feet
Mature size
Height: 110 ft. 0 in. - 180 ft. 0 in. | Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 57 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Cascading; Erect; Pyramidal
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Long-lasting
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Glaucous scale-like needles are closely pressed into the branch in opposite pairs, mostly 2-3 mm, apex acute to acuminate. The stomal bands on the underside form and x.
Flower detail
None
Fruit color
Blue; Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The round female cones are 1/4-3/8 inches, woody and blue-green, maturing to brown with 8 scales. Seeds are winged. Male cones are smaller, brown, appearing at the tips of the branches.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Reddish-brown bark divided into broad, rounded ridges.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Flat brown twigs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Pacific NW
Distribution
CA, OR
Wildlife value
Provides protection and nesting sites for wildlife. Douglas squirrels harvest Port-Orford-cedar cones and eat the seed. Mountain beavers and rabbits occasionally eat the foliage of saplings, and woodrats and porcupines eat the bark.