General Description | Compact, evergreen, pyramidal tree that retains its glossy, bright green foliage throughout the year, making it a valuable hedge plant or specimen. Tolerates a wide range of soils and likes humid conditions with regular precipitation. |
ID Characteristic | Emerald-green, dense, pyramidal evergreen. Holds its colour nicely all year. Rarely needs pruning. Excellent hedge plant. Shows excellent heat and cold tolerance. |
Shape | Narrow, compact, pyramidal form. |
Propagation | Take cuttings from current seasons wood with a heel from November onwards through early March. Root in perlite/peat/3/1 with about 4000 ppm of KIBA with bottom heat and mist. |
Cultivation | Grows in part/full sun; likes clay, loam, sandy soil which can be slightly alkaline to acidic. Soil must be well drained. Has moderate drought and salt tolerance but is tolerant of walnuts. |
Pests | Caterpillars, bark beetles, weevils, mites and scale insects are common, as well as butt rot, twig dieback, Borytis, mushroom root rot and needle blight. |
Notable Specimens | The Gardens of Fanshawe College, London, Ontario, Canada. |
Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
Bark/Stem Description | Brown to grey-brown in colour, plated and not particularly showy. Furrowed into relatively narrow strips. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Small, light brown cones with thin overlapping scales, approximately 1 cm in length. |
Leaf Description | Approximately 2.5 cm in length. Bright green, scale-like, yet soft foliage in more or less vertical sprays that are arranged in an opposite pattern. They are also quite flexible and glabrous. |
Flower Description | Spring flowering, yellow, inconspicuous and not showy. Borne singly and at the branch tips. |
Fruit Description | Oval shaped brown coloured fruit that is dry or hard and ripe from August to September. The fruit length is 2.5 cm. Does not attract wild life and is persistent on the tree. |
Colour Description | Bright, glossy, lustrous emerald green foliage, although there is also a gold-marked variegated sport of ‘Emerald’. |
Texture Description | Scale like, medium to fine foliage. Medium to rough bark. Smooth seeds. |