To recognize western redcedar, look for flattened sprays of scale-like leaves arranged in opposite pairs, with drooping branchlets that hang in layered sheets. Trees are tall and narrowly conical.
The trunk often shows fibrous, reddish-brown bark that peels in long vertical strips, and mature branchlets stay distinctly flattened rather than rounded.
Check your plant ID by uploading a clear photo to Botan.
Clear images work best. Avoid photos taken too close or too far away
Check the foliage sprays, trunk, and cones on Thuja plicata.
Crushed foliage often helps confirm the ID if visible traits are close.
Western redcedar shows clear age-related changes in foliage, branching, cones, and trunk form.
Several named selections of western redcedar are identifiable by foliage color and growth habit.
Thuja plicata stays evergreen, so it does not develop bare winter stems. In cold weather, the flattened sprays often darken to a deeper green or slightly bronzy tone. Pollen cones become noticeable in spring at branch tips, and seed cones develop by late summer to fall as small, upright cones among the foliage.
A few conifers are regularly mistaken for Thuja plicata.
western arborvitae(Thuja occidentalis)
Often confused because both have flattened, scale-like sprays. Telling features: western arborvitae usually has smaller sprays and narrower, upright branchlets; its mature cones are typically about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) long, smaller than western redcedar cones.
Lawson cypress(Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)
Similar in having flat evergreen sprays. Check the cones first: Lawson cypress has round, berry-like cones about 1/4 to 3/8 inch (0.6 to 1 cm) wide, not the longer, layered cones of Thuja. Branchlets also tend to look finer and more feathery.
Native to the Pacific coast of North America, Thuja plicata ranges from southeastern Alaska through British Columbia and Washington to Oregon and northwestern California, with inland populations into Idaho and western Montana. It is most often found in moist to wet conifer forests, stream corridors, swamps, and coastal lowlands, and also in mountain valleys. Seeing a large Thuja in cool, humid forests of the Pacific Northwest helps narrow identification toward this species.
Thuja plicata has a meaningful safety concern because its foliage and sap can irritate skin in some people, and ingesting plant material can be harmful to humans and pets.
Quick Plant ID Check
Not sure what plant you have? Take a photo and identify it in the app
Use Botan to identify or verify the plant from an image, which helps avoid mix-ups with similar species.
The clearest feature is its flattened, drooping sprays of scale-like leaves. The underside usually shows small white stomatal markings, and crushed foliage has a strong resinous scent that helps with western redcedar identification.
Use Botan to identify a plant from a photo, then get species-specific care information, safety notes, and common problems.
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