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Calocedrus decurrens - (Torr.)Florin.

Incense Cedar

Author	(Torr.)Florin.	Botanical references	11, 60, 200
Family	Cupressaceae	Genus	Calocedrus
Synonyms	Heyderia decurrens - (Torr.)K.Koch. Libocedrus decurrens - Torr. Thuja gigantea - Carrière.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	South-western N. America - Oregon to California.
Habitat	Found on a variety of soils, usually on western slopes at an altitude of 700 - 2500 metres[229]. The best specimens are found on deep well-drained slightly acidic sandy loam soils[229].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Tree growing to 15m by 2m at a slow rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy; Secondary;

Edible Uses

Edible Uses: Condiment.

The dense leaflets have been used as a flavouring and protection when leaching acorns[257].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Miscellany; Stomachic.

A decoction of the leaves has been used to treat stomach troubles[257]. Steam from an infusion of the leaves has been inhaled in the treatment of colds[257].

Other Uses

Basketry; Broom; Containers; Wood.

The boughs and twigs have been used to make brooms[257]. The roots have been used as overlay twine warps and overlay twine weft bases in making baskets[257]. The bark has been made into baskets[257]. Wood - soft, light, close grained, very durable in the soil though it is often damaged by dry rot[82]. It has a powerful, incense-like fragrance[245] and is used for making shingles, lathes, fencing, pencils, construction etc[46, 61, 81, 171]. Mature trees are often infected by dry rot, so they are not considered to be a major timber species[229].

Scented Plants

Plant: Crushed

All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in full sun in a moist well-drained soil that is neutral to acid, though it will also survive on dry alkaline soils[200]. Plants are shade tolerant when young[200]. It grows best in a position that is sheltered from strong winds[245]. Trees are slow growing but long-lived in the wild, with specimens up to 1000 years old recorded[229]. They grow slowly in Britain, but they are perfectly hardy[11]. Young trees can grow 60cm in a year but they seldom average more than 30cm[185]. Growth virtually stops once the tree reaches 25 metres tall[185]. All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic[188, 245]. This species is strongly resistant to honey fungus[81, 188]. The tree exhibits very different crown habits dependant upon the area in which it is being grown[185, 200]. At one time these different habits were considered to be different sub-species, but it is recognised now that it is only climatic forces that cause the differences.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse[245]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of the current season's growth, taken in mid autumn, in a light sandy soil in a cold frame[245].

Links

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Calocedrus decurrens

Thu May 18 2006

Please give the distribution, especially info. on Israel for Calocedrus. sflowers@mcn.org...Hopefully you can help if so Thanks!

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