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Thuja (pronounced Thuya) is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three from Eastern Asia. Many people know thujas by their common, but incorrect name cedars. They are also known as arbor-vitae (tree of life), due to the evergreen foliage and the many traditional medicinal uses made of these trees.
The leaves of Thuja are evergreen and scale-like, except at the tips of some new shoots, where they are elongated. The scales are arranged in four rows along the twigs.
The male cones are small and inconspicuous and are located at the tips of the twigs. The female cones start out similarly inconspicuous, but grow to about 1 centimeter long with 8-16 thin, leathery scales
The wood of thujas is light, soft and aromatic. it can be easily split and resists decay. The wood has been used for many applications from making chests that repel moths to shingles. Thuja poles are also often used to make fence posts and rails.
Species of Thuja
Another very distinct and only distantly related species formerly treated as Thuja orientalis is now treated as a genus of its own, as Platycladus orientalis. The closest relative of Thuja is Thujopsis dolabrata, distinct in its thicker foliage and stouter cones.