Side by side
Lawson cypress or Leyland cypress? How to tell them apart
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana · × Cuprocyparis leylandii
How to tell them apart – Lawson cypress: flat sprays with white X-shaped markings underneath, and a drooping leader; Leyland cypress: very fast-growing conifer with scale leaves, widely used for tall hedges, the shoots point every which way.
Photo: US Forest Service Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Public domain · source
Lawson cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
How do you recognise them?
- Lawson cypress
- Flat sprays of scale leaves with a white X pattern underneath, a drooping leading shoot and globular cones.
- Compared with Leyland cypress: flat sprays with white X-shaped markings underneath, and a drooping leader.
- Leyland cypress
- Very fast-growing conifer with scale leaves, widely used for tall hedges; the shoots point every which way.
| Lawson cypress | Leyland cypress | |
|---|---|---|
| Needles | Scale leaves in flat, fern-like sprays; underneath often with white X- or Y-shaped marks. When crushed they smell resinous, a little like parsley. | Small scale leaves pressed close to the shoots, dark to greyish green. The shoots do not form flat sprays but stick out irregularly in all directions; no white markings underneath. |
| Flowering | – | – |
| Cones and seeds | Globular cones of about 8–10 mm with shield-shaped scales (like a football); blue-green and bloomy at first. | Round cones of 1.5–2 cm with eight scales; you rarely see them on a clipped hedge. |
| Bark | Red-brown, in plates or strips. | Reddish-brown, with long furrows. |
| Shape and height | Conifer, 15–30 m | Conifer, 20–30 m (as a hedge, as tall as you trim it) |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, dry to wet |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | Yes, for birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | May–June and August–September | May–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Lawson cypress (15–30 m) and Leyland cypress (20–30 m (as a hedge) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Lawson cypress
- Plant profile: Leyland cypress
- Lawson cypress: when and how to prune
- Leyland cypress: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Thuja or Lawson cypress
- Lawson cypress or western red cedar
- Lawson cypress or northern white cedar
- Thuja or Leyland cypress
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.