Port Orford Cedar 'Somerset'
- Scientific Name: Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Somerset'
- Garden: Natives Garden
- Plant Type: Tree
- Evergreen/Deciduous: Evergreen
- Sun/Shade Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Moisture Requirements: Moist/Well-Drained
Plant Information
Conifer (but not a true cedar), evergreen tree, 40-60 ft (12-18 m) tall, (180 ft in wild), narrow, pyramidal, buttressed trunk. Short ascending branches, drooping at the tips. Flattened frond-like twigs are arranged horizontally, developing white "X" markings on the underside. Juvenile foliage is mostly upright, but usually congested and prickly (thin, sharp needles). Adult foliage is softer and made up of overlapping scale-like leaves. These leaves are closely pressed in opposite pairs, mostly 2-3 mm, apex acute to acuminate, lateral pair keel-shaped and overlapping smaller facial pair, glands ("a dot") usually present. Male (staminate) pollen cones on the tips of branchlets, ovate to oblong, dark brown to red at pollen release. Female flowers inconspicuous, solitary, green to blue-green, developing into seed cones that are globose (round or spherical shape), 8 mm across, blue-green then ripening to brown in the first season, with about 8 scales. Native to Oregon.
Sun or partial shade. Prefers well-drained, moist soil; shelter from winds.
Data Source
www.landscapeplants.oregonstate.eduPlant Photos
