Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Eastern White cedar, Thuja occidentalis, (not to be confused with Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides) naturally grew in moist alkaline soils in more northern areas of north America. The common name “arborvitae” or tree or life was given to it by the French explorer Jacques Cartier. His troop was desperately ill from scurvy during the winter of 1536. The Iroquois Indians saved his men with a decoction made from boiled leaves of Atlantic white cedar, earning this tree the common name “tree of life.” This tree was introduced into French landscapes as a valuable cure for this debilitating winter illness when vitamin C rich foods were hard to obtain.
Eastern White Cedars
