Chamaecyparis thyoides (Linnaeus) Britton, Sterns, & Poggenburg var. thyoides . Atlantic White Cedar, Juniper. Phen: Mar-Apr; Oct-Nov. Hab: Peat dome and streamhead pocosins, blackwater stream swamps, hillside seepages, in highly acidic, peaty or sandy soils. Dist: S. ME south to n. FL and west to s. MS. The westernmost populations of Chamaecyparis thyoides have conflicting evidence as to identification as var. henryae or var. thyoides; they are here included in var. henryae, but may be better considered as part of var. thyoides or as a separate taxon. From NJ south it is strictly a tree of the Coastal Plain; northward it is often found in kettle-hole bogs. In SC and GA, C. thyoides is absent in the outer Coastal Plain, occurring primarily in the fall-line Sandhills.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Other Comments: A prized timber tree, now much reduced in abundance, formerly used for cabinetry, boat-building, shingles, and other uses. The wood is valuable enough (and resistant enough to rot) to have been mined from bogs in NJ. NC has some of the largest remaining stands of Atlantic White Cedar, in areas of very difficult access, such as the interiors of major peat-domes and large peat-filled Carolina bays. The species is generally known as "juniper" in our area.

Synonymy: = Farjon (1998), Farjon (2005), Mylecraine et al (2005), Schulz, Knopf, & Stützel (2005); < Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns, & Poggenb. – AqW, C, F, FNA2, G, K1, K3, K4, NE, NY, Pa, RAB, S, Tat, Va, WH3

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus

Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Northcentral & Northeast: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily: 8