Cupressus nootkatensis - Alaskan Cedars

Nootka Cypress is native from Alaska down to northern California and is named after the Nootka First Nation in Alaska. It is pyramidal in shape, with pendulous branches that tip up at the ends, and with foliage of blue-green to gray-green flattened, pendulous sprays. One-quarter to one-half inch green seed cones turn brown with maturity. The species grows slowly, and is 6’-7.5’H × 5’W in 10 years, 30-40’H 10-15’W at maturity in cultivation, and to 120’H × 30’W in the wild. There are a number of cultivars — pendulous, mounding, and spreading— and with different colors and dimensions than the species. Nootka Cypress grows in full sun to partial shade in a variety of moist soils as long as they are well draining. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8.