Cupressus nootkatensis

Yellow cedar or yellow cypress is in the cypress or Cupressaceae family and is native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America, growing on wet sites in mountains, often close to the tree line, but sometimes also at lower altitudes. It can reach up to 50 m tall. It historically has been referred to as Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

• Crown is conical, drooping leader, and long and sweeping and loosely hanging branchlets.
• Leaves are scale-like, very small, 2—3 mm long, in crossing (decussate) pairs along the twig, diverging from the twig to pointed tips. The twigs are tough and flexible.
• Species is monoecious, with small male and female cones.
• Mature seed cones are round, 8—12 mm in diameter, stalked, with 4—6 hooked scales, in clusters at the tips of shoots in early spring.
• Bark is in vertical ridges, sometimes peeling.
• In identification, yellow cedar is often confused with western redcedar. However, there are several ways to easily distinguish the two: Yellow cedar often grows close to the tree line; its cones are small and round (10—14 mm diameter); crushed foliage smells like raw potato (not sweet); wood is light yellowish, smooth. Redcedar grows on lower down on hillsides and valley bottoms; crushed foliage smells sweet; cones are slender, up to 1.8 cm long, 0.5 cm wide, with 8—12 thin, overlapping scales. They are green, ripening brown in fall.