A giant (or folded) thuja is a large tree (about 60 m tall, wild and 16-12 m cultivated), which has a fibrous reddish-brown bark and a dense low crown. In cold winters, cultivated folded thuja is susceptible to frostbite. In Moscow, there is a shrub specimen that has reached 2.3 m in height at the age of 16 and has a crown diameter of 1.5 meters.
Skeletal (main) branches of thuja are arranged horizontally, small branches with "drooping" tips, too. In folded thuja, in contrast to western thuja, narrow leaves are about 1 mm wide, and grow more crowded - each cm on the shoot has from 8 to 10 whorls. Stomatal distinct whitish stripes are visible on the underside. The leaves, which are in a plane, are layered on top of each other, the lateral ones - with inconspicuous glands and straight edges. In thuja, 10-12 mm oblong cones, with scales with notches at the top, the seeds are dipteran and flat.
The homeland of the giant thuja is the raw territories on the Pacific coasts of North America. It has been cultivated since 1853. There are about 50 varieties of giant thuja: "Zebrina", "Whipcord" and others, which are rare in our country.
Thuja Whipcord - This is a dwarf folded thuja approximately 1.5 meters in height. Every year it increases its growth by 7-10 cm. The tree is spherical in shape, with long (also rounded) weakly branching "drooping" shoots with widely spaced needles. The tips are sticking out, sharp, it is green in summer and "bronze" during frosts.
Thuja Zebrina (Aureovariegata) - bred in 1868. In contrast to the wild, it grows much slower. By the age of 24, it can be only about 3 meters high. Her crown is dense and low, large horizontal branches with "drooping" tips. Young shoots have a cream-colored stripe that becomes brighter in spring.
