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Cupressaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Calocedrus decurrens

Calocedrus decurrens

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

Calocedrus decurrens is found at elevations from near sea level in the north of its range, ascending to almost 3,000 metres in the south. It tolerates hot, dry summers, but is also tolerant of winter frost and snow, being unharmed with temperatures falling to -34°c in the north of its range[1, 2, 3]. Plants grow slowly in Britain, but they are perfectly hardy[4]. This species is rather tolerant to soil types, with a huge range of pH values from strongly acid to around neutral, but the soil usually well drained[2, 3]. It is rarely found on limestone. It tolerates hot, dry summers well, but is equally insensitive to frost and snow cover[2]. Succeeds in full sun in a moist well-drained soil that is neutral to acid, though it will also survive on dry alkaline soils[1]. Plants are shade tolerant when young[1]. It grows best in a position that is sheltered from strong winds[5]. All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic[6, 5]. Trees are slow growing but long-lived in the wild, with specimens up to 1,000 years old recorded[7]. Young trees can grow 60cm in a year but they seldom average more than 30cm[8]. In cultivation growth virtually stops once the tree reaches around 30 metres tall, but specimens up to 57 metres have been recorded in the wild[4, 8, 1, 9, 2]. Mature trees develop a thick bark and this can help protect them from damage by fires that are not too intense[3]. This species is strongly resistant to honey fungus[10, 6]. The tree exhibits very different crown habits, ranging from almost vertical branches to almost horizontal. It has been shown that these different habits are a result of the area in which it is being grown[8, 1]. At one time these different habits were considered to be different sub-species, but it is recognised now that it is only climatic forces that cause the differences. The crown can vary as follows:- In the south of its range, and in similar Mediterranean climates the branches are long and more or less horizontal, forming an open, broadly conic crown In the north of its range where summers are cooler and the climate moister the branches are more or less erect, forming a broadly ovoid crown. Cultivated trees in eastern USA, western England and Ireland also take this shape. Cultivated trees in eastern England and Scandanavia, with warm, moderately dry summers and cool to cold winters the trees become narrowly fastigiate[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse[5]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of the current season's growth, taken in mid autumn, in a light sandy soil in a cold frame[5]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Calocedrus+decurrens>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  3. [3]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  6. [6]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  7. [7]The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. — Elias. T. · Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. · 1980 · ISBN 0442238622 ↩︎A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
  8. [8]Conifers in the British Isles. — Mitchell. A. F. · HMSO · 1975 · ISBN 0-11-710012-9 ↩︎A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.
  9. [9]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  10. [10]Conifers. — Rushforth. K. · Christopher Helm · 1987 · ISBN 0-7470-2801-X ↩︎Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.
  11. [11]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  13. [13]Manual of the Trees of N. America. — Sargent. C. S. · Dover Publications Inc. New York. · 1965 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0-486-20278-X ↩︎Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  14. [14]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  15. [15]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  16. [16]Economic Botany. — Hill. A. F. · The Maple Press · 1952 · ISBN - ↩︎Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.