Advanced Search Filters

Plant Type
Hardiness Zone
Heat Zone
Sunset Zone
Function
Sun Exposure
Soil Moisture
Water Requirement

CHAMAECYPARIS thyoides 'Red Star'

Image of Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Red Star'

James Burghardt

Family

Cupressaceae

Botanical Name

CHAMAECYPARIS thyoides 'Red Star'

Plant Common Name

Atlantic Whitecedar, Red Star Atlantic Whitecedar, Whitecedar Falsecypress

General Description

A selection of Atlantic white cedar, ‘Red Star’ has fine green needles that are blue when young and purpled bronze in winter's cold. It is a tidy, pyramidal small tree of wide adaptability, a trait of its parent, native to the coastal plains of the eastern United States from Maine to Florida and Mississippi. An evergreen conifer, ‘Red Star’ has reddish, gray-brown bark well hidden by the dense, prickly tufts of needles that have white bands on the undersides. Both male and female cones appear in late spring, and are small and rounded. The female cones become less rounded and more scaly as they ripen from dark purple to light sienna brown.

Grow 'Red Star' in moist, well-drained to soggy soils in full sunlight. It is great as an accent tree, or grouped in a windbreak or screen on the edge of a property, or as a large corner plant in a foundation bed.

Characteristics

  • AHS Heat Zone

    8 - 1

  • USDA Hardiness Zone

    3 - 8

  • Sunset Zone

    1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17

  • Plant Type

    Needled or Scaled Evergreen

  • Sun Exposure

    Full Sun, Partial Sun

  • Height

    15'-25' / 4.6m - 7.6m

  • Width

    10'-15' / 3.0m - 4.6m

  • Bloom Time

    Late Spring, Early Summer

  • Native To

    North America, United States, Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States

Growing Conditions

  • Soil pH

    Acidic, Neutral

  • Soil Drainage

    Average

  • Soil type

    Clay, Loam, Sand

  • Tolerances

    Wet Site, Drought

  • Growth Rate

    Medium

  • Water Requirements

    Drought Tolerant, Average Water

  • Habit

    Pyramidal

  • Seasonal Interest

    Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Ornamental Features

  • Flower Interest

    Insignificant

  • Flower Color

    Green

  • Fruit Color

    Green, Purple, Brown

  • Foliage Color (Spring)

    Blue Green, Dark Green, Steel Blue

  • Foliage Color (Summer)

    Dark Green, Steel Blue, Gray

  • Foliage Color (Fall)

    Gray Green, Dark Green, Gray

  • Foliage Color (Winter)

    Purple, Gray Green, Dark Green, Bronze

  • Foliage Color (Winter) Modifier

    SpottedMottled

  • Bark Color

    Sandy Brown, Sienna

  • Fragrant Flowers

    No

  • Fragrant Fruit

    No

  • Fragrant Foliage

    Yes

  • Bark or Stem Fragrant

    Yes

  • Repeat Bloomer

    No

  • Showy Fruit

    No

  • Edible Fruit

    No

  • Showy Foliage

    Yes

  • Foliage Texture

    Fine

  • Foliage Sheen

    Matte

  • Evergreen

    Yes

  • Showy Bark

    No

Special Characteristics

  • Bark Texture

    Smooth

  • Usage

    Feature Plant, Foundation, Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break

  • Sharp or Has Thorns

    No

  • Invasive

    No

  • Self-Sowing

    No