The Port Orford "Cedar" tree (species - Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Northern California and Southern Oregon. In the picture above it is the cypress looking tree in the center. Other common names for this tree include Lawson cypress, Oregon Cedar, White Cedar and Ginger Pine. This tree is not realy a true cedar but rather belongs to one of the species families that are called by the name Cypress.
The image above is of the female "flower" or cone of the Port Orford Cedar and the image below is the male flower.
You can see from the image below that the male and female flowers grow on the same branch but are on distinct branchlets. The leaves are scale like.
The seeds (in my hand at the top of the image below) are small and have a sort of "flying saurcer" shape.
"Today nearly all harvested Port-Orford-cedar is exported to Japan. Port-Orford-cedar is very similar to hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood, which is used in traditional Japanese house and temple construction. On federal timber sales, Japanese trading companies sometimes purchase stumpage on bid after examining individual trees. The wood is regarded so highly as a hinoki substitute that trees are felled with great care; sometimes cables are used to control the fall." from http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/chalaw/all.html
"The wood is light and durable, and particularly highly valued in east Asia, with large amounts being exported to Japan where it is in high demand for making coffins. Due to the straightness of its grain, it is also one of the preferred woods for the manufacture of arrow shafts". - The Rampant Gardener
The Port Orford "Cedar" tree (species - Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Northern California and Southern Oregon. In the picture above it is the cypress looking tree in the center. Other common names for this tree include Lawson cypress, Oregon Cedar, White Cedar and Ginger Pine. This tree is not realy a true cedar but rather belongs to one of the species families that are called by the name Cypress.
The image above is of the female "flower" or cone of the Port Orford Cedar and the image below is the male flower.
You can see from the image below that the male and female flowers grow on the same branch but are on distinct branchlets. The leaves are scale like.
The seeds (in my hand at the top of the image below) are small and have a sort of "flying saurcer" shape.
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