Side by side
Lawson cypress or northern white cedar? How to tell them apart
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana · Thuja occidentalis
How to tell them apart – Lawson cypress: a white X pattern under the sprays, round cones and a drooping leader; northern white cedar: thuja with dull, yellowish-green scale leaves without white markings underneath, which turn brownish in winter.
Photo: US Forest Service Dorena Genetic Resource Center, Public domain · source
Lawson cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
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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 northern white cedar: a white X pattern under the sprays, round cones and a drooping leader.
- Northern white cedar
- Thuja with dull, yellowish-green scale leaves without white markings underneath, which turn brownish in winter.
| Lawson cypress | Northern white cedar | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Scale leaves in flat, fan-like sprays; dull green above, paler yellowish green below without white patches. Crushed, they smell strong and fruity, rather like apple. Often brownish in winter. |
| Flowering | – | – |
| Cones and seeds | Globular cones of about 8–10 mm with shield-shaped scales (like a football); blue-green and bloomy at first. | Upright, egg-shaped cones about 1 cm long with 8–10 thin scales; yellowish green at first, brown when ripe. |
| Bark | Red-brown, in plates or strips. | Reddish-brown to grey, in narrow, fibrous strips. |
| Shape and height | Conifer, 15–30 m | Conifer, 10–20 m (in gardens usually 3–10 m) |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | May–June and August–September | May–June and August–September |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Northern white cedar is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
- Lawson cypress (15–30 m) and northern white cedar (10–20 m (in gardens usually 3–10 m)) 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: Northern white cedar
- Lawson cypress: when and how to prune
- Northern white cedar: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Thuja or Lawson cypress
- Lawson cypress or Leyland cypress
- Lawson cypress or western red cedar
- Western red cedar or northern white cedar
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.