Oriental Arborvitae             THEW-ya o-ree-en-TAH-lis

• Conifer, evergreen shrub or tree, 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) high, 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m) wide, [as a tree it may reach 40 ft (12 m) tall], dense, globular to ovoid, with branchlets held vertically and nearly parallel in arrangement.  Bark thin, red-brown, separating into papery scales.  Leaves scale-like, bright green but may turn brownish in winter, nearly alike on both sides, those on a main axis glandular, ending in a free spreading point.  Cones ovoid, 1.5-2.5 cm long, fleshy, blue before mature, scales thick and hooked.
• Sun.  Tends to open up with age, and may have to be tied.
• Current correct name is Platycladus orientalis.  It was previously named Thuja orientalis or Biota orientalis.  Still offered in nurseries as Thuja orientalis.
• A popular cultivar is 'Aurea Nana' [Dwarf Golden Arborvitae, or Beckman Golden Arborvitae], it is dense, dwarf, and has an ovoid form; grows to 10 ft (3 m). Its leaves are initially golden-yellow, but fade to a light yellow-green.  Many other cultivars.
• Hardy to USDA Zone (5)6       Native to Korea, Manchuria and northern China.
• Corvallis: 127 NW 13th St.(Phi Sigma Kappa).