'Pendula' is a needled evergreen tree in the cypress family and a cultivar of the native Nootka cypress found on the Pacific coast from Alaska to northern California. This tree grows 30 to 45 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide in a pyramidal shape but is often found much smaller in cultivation. It prefers average moist soils in full sun to partial shade, particularly in warmer zones. The blue-green to gray-green needles occur along branchlets that hang from the drooping to horizontal branches. The leaves, when crushed emit a foul odor. Use as a specimen or accent tree along pond and stream edges or for winter interest. It can be grown in a container and on or near the patio. It does best in cool summer climates with plenty of rainfall and can be grown in the NC mountains. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to beetle borers and spider mites, phytophthora, root rot, and rust. Occasional aphid issues. Blight can be a problem in young nursery plants as well as old landscape plants. More information on Callitropsis nootkatensis .
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.
Fills a similar nicheChamaecyparis obtusa 'Tetragona Aurea'Picea laxa 'Conica'Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
6-feet-12 feet; 12-24 feet
NC region
Mountains
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 45 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Pyramidal; Weeping
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Needles; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Opposite
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Scale-like leaves in flat fans in 4 rows of alternating opposite pairs. They have an unpleasant smell when bruised or crushed.
Flower detail
No flowers
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small hard green cones ripen in the tree's second year and ripen in the fall. Each have a protruding, hook-like erect tip.
Bark color
Green; Light Gray
Bark detail
Bark Light Green or Light Gray, Exfoliating or Furrowed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Alaska south to northern California
Wildlife value
Bears can strip the bark off the tree in the springtime in order to feed on the sweet sap. Often used as cover for birds and small mammals.
Attracts
Small Mammals
Play value
Buffer; Easy to Grow; Screening; Wildlife Cover/Habitat