Thuja plicata – Wikipedia

Description:
– Thuja plicata is a large to very large tree, ranging up to 45 to 70 meters tall and 2.4 to 7 meters in trunk diameter.
– The trunk swells at the base and has shallow roots.
– The bark is thin, gray-brown, and fissured into vertical bands.
– Foliage forms flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs.
– Cones are slender, 10 to 18mm long, and ripen brown in fall.

Chemistry:
– Heartwood of western redcedar contains substances like plicatic acid and thujaplicins.
– Plicatic acid is the main irritant responsible for allergic reactions.
– Thujaplicins act as natural fungicides, preventing wood rot.
– Thujaplicins are used in agriculture for fungal diseases and decay prevention.
– Thujaplicins are potent chelating agents and have potential biological properties.

Taxonomy:
– Thuja plicata is one of two Thuja species native to North America.
– It is likely more closely related to T. koraiensis from the Korean Peninsula.
– Genetic variability is higher in coastal areas compared to other regions.
– Species likely spread from a single refugium in the southern portion of its range.
– Pollen cores suggest the species became common in certain regions around 6,000 to 2,200 years ago.

Etymology:
– The species name plicata means folded in plaits or braided.
– Authorities transliterate the English name as western redcedar.
– The Latin word plicāre is the origin of the species name.
– The name refers to the pattern of small leaves on the tree.
– Transliteration of the English name varies in different regions.