Stats

Lifespan

Up to 800 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America and East Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

An evergreen conifer genus of five species prized for dense, scale-like foliage and use in hedges. Its name means 'tree of life' in Latin, coined after a vitamin-C-rich tea brewed from its needles cured Jacques Cartier's scurvy-stricken crew in the 1530s.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Pinopsida

Order

Pinales

Family

Cupressaceae

Genus

Thuja