79. Incense Cedar

Location: Between the UW Medicinal Garden and Okanogan Lane in the western most section of garden on walking trails a bit north of the beds, growing at a fork in the trail.

Historical Background: An important timber species and as a factor in the production of pencils, this tree is a favorite due to its resistance to splintering. The wood is extremely aromatic and used in the production of chests and closets where its properties protect the contents from insects. In its native range with frequent fires a factor, this tree has been honed by evolution to develop immensely thick fire resistant bark. Often older specimens in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California bear evidence of multiple fires on still living ancient specimens, however, climate change and a lack of fire management since colonization now serves as a threat to some of these ancient individuals, who in spite of their thick bases and self pruning capabilities are not immune to death from topburn.

Non-native

Native Range: Native to the Western United States in mountainous regions of California and Oregon.

Identifying Features: One major identifying feature for this species is the smell (it is after all and incense cedar). Walk through the hot summer forests in California and Oregon and one will readily pick up the intense fragrance of this species permeating the air. Another example of a false Cedar, one can readily tell the difference between this and the Atlas, Deodar, and Cedar of Lebanon seen earlier on this tour. The spraylike branches cause it to be confused in the northwest for the Western Redcedar or Lawson cyprus (also seen earlier on the tour), however there are differences. The smell is one, crushed needles are extremely aromatic. Additionally, the bark is far more thickly furrowed or scaly than that of either of the other look alikes, and the cones too lack the rosebud appearance of the western redcedar, looking more similar to the Juniper like cones of the Port Orford cedar, but opening from a single base point in a graceful spread of hard brown scales. In their native range of California they may also be mistaken for Giant Sequoias, likely due to their red bark, spray like foliage, and a tendency amongst social media tourists to misinform their followers due to a lack of botanical background. Fortunately, here to there are several tricks. The overlapping needles of the incense cedar are in two dimensions, very flat, while those overlapping needles of the sequoia are 3-dimensional (which may be tested by grabbing them and feeling a sharp prick). 

Identifying Features In Depth:

1. Form: Incense cedars generally demonstrate high apical control, forming a columnar crown which becomes more open and irregular with age, sometimes splitting into multiple trunks. Foliage is dense, and branches are short and self pruning at the base. The tree attains heights of 60-150’ (18-46m) and a diameter of 3-5’ (0.9-1.5m).

2. Leaves: Leaves are evergreen, reminiscent of the Western redcedar in that they for sprays. They are a shiny green, growing opposite in 4 rows, scalelike, with the side pair keeled and long pointed. Needles overlap each next pair, and extend down the twig. When crushed they are extremely aromatic.

3. Bark: Red to light reddish brown, thick and deeply furrowed into irregular patterns and shredded ridges. On younger growth can be more scaly and grayish. Twigs are many-branched and are composed of old needles which have browned and hardened.

4. Reproductive Bodies: Cones are long and narrow, ¾-1’ (2-2.5cm) long and hang down on a slender leafy stalk. Only the middle two scales carry seeds. They ripen from a green to a red brown and open to reveal 6 paired flattened scales. There are generally 4 or less seeds per cone with 2 unequal wings.