Chamaecyparis obtusa - Japanese White Cedar, Hinoki Cypress -10 Seed Pack + FREE Bonsai EBook - New

Chamaecyparis, common names cypress or false cypress (to distinguish it from related cypresses), is a genus of conifers in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to eastern Asia (Japan + Taiwan) and to the western and eastern margins of the United States. The name is derived from the Greek khamai, meaning ground, and kuparissos for cypress. They are medium-sized to large evergreen trees growing from 20–70 m tall, with foliage in flat sprays. The leaves are of two types, needle-like juvenile leaves on young seedlings up to a year old, and scale-like adult leaves.

Chamaecyparis obtusa commonly known as Japanese White Cedar, Japanese Cypress, Hinoki Cypress or Hinoki is a species of cypress native to central Japan. It is a slow-growing tree which grows to 35 m tall with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter if planted in open ground.

It is well suited to being treated as a bonsai and grows very well in pots or containers. The bark is dark red-brown. The leaves are scale-like, 2-4 mm long, blunt tipped (obtuse), green above, and green below with a white stomatal band at the base of each scale-leaf. The cones are globose, 8-12 mm diameter, with 8-12 scales arranged in opposite pairs.

Chamaecyparis obtusa is ideal for a small garden as a landscape ornamental where it can be grown on in pots for many years. Chamaecyparis obtusa is very well known to make ideal bonsai. Hinoki wood has been cherished throughout the centuries as a building material for traditional structures such as shrines and temples since it is resistant to rot. Grow in full sun and in a well-drained soil. Chamaecyparis obtusa tolerates light to dappled shade. It adapts to a variety of soils, from sandy sites to clay. Once established, Hinoki Cypress is very drought tolerant.