Common Names

Incense-cedar; white, bastard, or California post cedar (Peattie 1950), cedro incienso [Spanish] (Thieret 1993).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Libocedrus decurrens Torrey 1853 (Thieret 1993).

Description

Resinous, aromatic tree 18-46(57) m tall and 90-150(360) cm dbh. Tapering, irregularly angled trunk and narrow, columnar crown, becoming open and irregular. Bark light or reddish-brown, thick, fibrous, deeply and irregularly furrowed into shreddy ridges. Twigs much-branched and flattish, with wedge-shaped joints longer than broad; composed of scalelike leaves. Leaves evergreen, shiny, opposite in 4 rows, 3-14 mm long, scalelike, including long-decurrent base, rounded abaxially, apex acute (often abruptly), usually mucronate, the side pair keeled, long-pointed, overlapping the next pair, extending down twig; aromatic when crushed. Pollen cones red-brown to light brown. Seed cones cones red-brown to golden brown, 14-25 mm long (including wings), oblong-ovate when closed, pendant at end of slender, leafy stalk, proximal scales often reflexed at cone maturity, median scales then widely spreading to recurved, distal scales erect. Seeds 4 or fewer in cone, paired with 2 unequal wings. 2n= 22 (Little 1980, Thieret 1993).

Although the big "cedars" (actually, species of Calocedrus, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus, and Thuja) of western North America tend to look alike at first, the incense-cedar is easily distinguished by the fact that its foliage is held in flattened vertical sprays.

Range

USA: W Oregon, Nevada (the Lake Tahoe area) and California; Mexico: Northern Baja California Norte; at 300-2800 m in mountains. Occurs in mixed conifer forests or (seldom) pure stands (Little 1980, Thieret 1993). See also Thompson et al. (1999).

Big Tree

The Devil's Canyon Colossus: dbh 378 cm, height 50.3 m, stem volume 223 m³, located in Devil's Canyon near Sawyer's Bar, Marble Mountains Wilderness, California; also the Alex Hole Cedar, 456 cm dbh, on the north side of Condrey Mountain in Rogue River National Forest, Oregon; also the Tannen Lakes Titan, 394 cm dbh, 41.8 m tall, stem volume 123 m³, near East Tannen Lake in Red Buttes Wilderness, Oregon. The tallest known, diameter 175 cm, height 69.8 m, is near Tiller in Umpqua National Forest, Oregon (Van Pelt 2000, 2001).

Oldest

There is a record of 933 years, but without supporting information (Carder 1995).

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

The tree is widely grown as a handsome ornamental. Formerly it was also an important timber species, much preferred for the manufacture of pencil due to its softness and isotropy. Although timber harvests have been reduced by depletion of old growth stands, its wood, exceptionally resistant to decay and highly durable when exposed to weather, is still useful for woodworking applications including cedar chests and closets (Little 1980, Thieret 1993).

Observations

Have seen in many locales, including the Sierra San Pedro Martir, Mt. San Jacinto, many parts of the Sierra Nevada, and the South Cascades as far north as H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. One of the more remarkable areas is Cedar Basin in Red Butte Wilderness, California, where it grows in an almost pure stand and some quite large trees are found.

Remarks

Tolerant of moderate intensity fire because of its thick bark (Little 1980).

This species is listed as threatened by the Mexican government (NOM-ECOL-059-94).

See Also

Arno and Gyer (1973).

Burns and Honkala (1990) (as Libocedrus d.).

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.

Lanner (1999).