Thuja occidentalis, commonly known as American arborvitae or White Cedar, is a dense, conical to narrow-pyramidal (sometimes maturing to broad-pyramidal), often single-trunked, evergreen tree. It is often used for hedges, screens, and foundation plants. It needs full sun, likes high humidity but can be grown in virtually any soil. It doesn’t mind pruning or high pH. This is a slow growing tree that reaches 25 to 40 feet in height and spreads to about 10 to 12 feet wide. It is often found in the wild in low areas, wet forests and swamps and less frequently in some dryish sites. Mature trees may reach 40 to 60 feet tall in the wild over time. Scale-like, aromatic, yellow-green to dark green foliage appears in flattened sprays. Erect seed cones (1/2 inch long) are not particularly showy. Red-brown bark will exfoliate on mature branches and trunks. The common name of arborvitae (tree of life) comes from early French settlers to North America who learned from Native Americans that the tree’s foliage could be used to treat scurvy.