Michigan State University Extension
Ornamental Plants plus Version 3.0 - 00000340
11/12/99

Chamaecyparis obtusa--Hinoki Cypress


Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Height: 65 ft Spread: 15 ft Form: pyramidal
Type: narrow-leaved evergreen tree
Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches

Comments: In landscape situations, the tree is usually
seen in the form of one of its many cultivars. It has a
moderate growth rate and does not tolerate air pollution.
Hinoki Cypress prefers cool, moist soil and tolerates
partial shade, although it prefers a sunny location. Sun
scorch can be a problem on cultivars with colored foliage.

Cultivars:
'Aurea' - Upright plant with long, bright yellow open
fans. Shaded foliage is green.
'Bess' - A compact selection, taller than 'Nana
Gracilis' but taller and more slender.
'Bronze Pygmy' - Bronzed winter foliage.
'Chabo Yadori - Juvenile foliage is bluish-green.
'Compacta' - A general term for plants that are generally
compact and pyramidal.
'Confucius' - An upright form with yellow foliage.
'Contorta' - A dwarf, conical form with twisted foliage.
'Coralliformis' - The dark green, twisted foliage is
displayed on a wide, mounded plant.
'Crippsii' - An upright, small tree with yellow
foliage.
'Dainty Doll' - A cone-shaped plant with a round top.
'Densa' - A dwarf with dark green foliage.
'Dilatush' - A slow-growing shrub with fern-like foliage.
'Elf' - A dense dwarf with dark green foliage.
'Ericoides' - The young foliage is feathery on plants
slightly taller than wide.
'Fernspray Gold' - Bright yellow, fern-like (Vis. 5)
foliage.
'Filicoides' - A pyramidal plant with twisted, orange-
stemmed branches and fern-like foliage.
'Filicoides Aurea' - The fern-like foliage is yellow at
the tips. The form is narrow and upright.
'Filicoides Compacta' - Green, fern-like foliage on an
upright plant.
'Gimborn Beauty' - Bluish juvenile foliage, robust
growth.
'Gold Fern' - A compact plant with golden foliage.
'Gold Drop' - Yellowish-green foliage on a rounded shrub.
'Golden Ceramic' ('Golden Christmas') - Yellow foliage.
'Golden Sprite' - A very slow growing plant, foliage
tipped with yellow.
'Gracilis' - A pyramidal plant with pendulous branches
reaching a height of 9 feet and a spread of 5 feet.
'Gracilis Aurea' - A broad, cone-shaped plant with yellow
foliage.
'Graciosa' - Green, lacy foliage (Vis. 8) on a small
conical tree.
'Hage' - A small, globe-shaped, dense plant with dark
green foliage and a very slow growth rate.
'Ivan's Column' ('Blue Feathers') - A narrow, upright
plant with a slow growth rate.
'Junior' ('J.R.') - A dense, rounded plant with dark
green foliage.
'Juniperoides' - A dense, rounded form.
'Kosteri' - A dense plant that becomes an irregular
pyramid with age.
'Leprechaun' - A cone-shaped plant with tufted foliage.
'Little Ann' - A dwarf with an upright habit.
'Lutea Nova' - An upright, spreading plant with yellow
foliage.
'Lycopoidioidies' - A slow-growing cultivar with
twisting branches.
'Magnifica' - A wide pyramidal plant when mature. The
dark green foliage becomes slightly bronze in winter.
'Mariesii' - An irregular, rounded plant, the foliage
is variegated with white.
'Meroke Twin' - A compact, upright selection with
yellow.
'Nana' - Round when young (Vis. 3) but more irregular
with age.
'Nana Aurea' - New growth is yellow (Vis. 1).
'Nana Contorta' - A slow-growing dwarf with an
irregular branching habit.
'Nana Gracilis' - Rounded when young more upright with
age (Vis. 2).
'Nana Lutea' - A compact, slow-growing plant with
yellow foliage.
'Oregon Crested' - An upright plant with terminal growth
resembling a cockscomb.
'Pygmaea' - A low, spreading shrub.
'Pygmaea Aurescens' - A flat-topped plant with
bronzed foliage during the growing season and copper-
colored in winter.
'Pygmaea Chimo Hiba' - Green foliage on a spreading
dwarf.
'Reis Dwarf' - Unusual long, thin foliage.
'Repens' - A spreading form mounding age.
'Rigid Dwarf' - A dwarf with upright branches and dark
green foliage.
'Snowflake' - The foliage is flecked with white.
'Snowkist' - Dark green marked with white.
'Spiralis' - An upright, narrow form with dark green
foliage and unusual growth habit.
'Split Rock' - Blue young foliage contrasts with mature
green foliage (Vis. 4).
'Templehof' - A compact form with dark green foliage,
twig stems are reddish.
'Tetragona Aurea' - A tall, full, conical plant with
yellow foliage.
'Torulosa' - A broad, upright plant with twisted,
threadlike foliage (Vis. 6).
'Verdoni' - Yellow foliage that does not burn in
full sun.
'Yellowtip' - A cone-shaped plant that has yellow foliage
at the branch tips.

References for Cultivars: Iseli Nursery 1999, Weston
Nurseries 1999, Lake County Nursery 1999, Princeton
Nurseries 1999, Spring Meadow Nursery 1997, Monrovia
Nursery Company 1997, Ray Wiegand's Nursery 1999, Wayside
Gardens 1999, Sheridan Nurseries 1999, Berryhill Nurseries
1999, Scarff's Nursery 1999, Gee Farms 1999, Willoway
Nurseries 1999.


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