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Looking up from below at the canopy of an Incense Cedar tree (Calodedrus decurrens). One of the many species of Pacific Northwest native trees available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Close-up of the bright green fan-like needles of Incense Cedar tree (Calodedrus decurrens). One of the many species of Pacific Northwest native trees available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
The sprawling branches of an old Incense Cedar tree (Calodedrus decurrens). One of the many species of Pacific Northwest native trees available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Growth habitat of young Incense Cedar tree (Calodedrus decurrens). One of the many species of Pacific Northwest native trees available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.

Incense Cedar

Calocedrus decurrens 

Incense cedar is a large conifer that is popular as a yard tree thanks to its relatively narrow, attractive crown of branches and drought tolerance. Its bark is smooth orange-brown when young and weathers grayish and fissured with age. The needles are arranged as fan-like, lustrous sprays that stay bright green throughout the year and the cones turn orange to yellow-brown when mature.

  • Plant type/canopy layer: evergreen, perennial, large tree 
  • Size at maturity: 100-150' tall, 30' wide
  • Light requirements: full sun to part sun/part shade
  • Moisture requirements: dry to moist soil, prefers well-drained
  • Bloom time: January
  • Growth rate/ease: slow growing, easy to grow
  • Wildlife support: overall plant provides foraging, roosting and nesting opportunities for countless species of birds and mammals including hummingbirds, attracts beneficial and other pest eating insects and is a caterpillar host plant and larval food source for native butterflies and moths. It is also the preferred host of a wood wasp (Syntexis libocedrii), an evolutionarily ancient species which lays its eggs in the smoldering wood immediately after a forest fire (EMSWCD).
  • Native habitat/range: common in montane forests, mixed conifer forests, canyons and slopes, at altitudes between 650-2750m from the Coast and Cascade ranges of Western Oregon south through California to northern Baja California, Mexico and east to western Nevada. Portland Plant List - no.
  • Special features & uses: drought tolerant; wood used for lumber, siding on houses and is the primary material for pencils, because it is soft and tends to sharpen easily without splintering; landscape uses include pollinator gardens, woodland gardens, erosion control, windbreaks and habitat hedgerows  

Gardening with Incense Cedar: Incense cedar an attractive, popular, and extremely drought-tolerant yard tree. It will particularly thrive in full sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained soil. If you have the space for a large tree, it will provide critical wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and help mitigate urban heat islands in your neighborhood for generations to come. 


Photo Credit 1: "File:100 2121 Calocedrus decurrens 3 mag 09 giardino di valsanzibio.jpg" by Stefano59Rivaraforcommons is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 

Photo Credit 2: "File:Pinetum Blijdestein - Calocedrus decurrens - Wierookceder (3).jpg" by Ellywa is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo Credit 3: "H20100410-2233--Calocedrus decurrens--UCBG" by John Rusk is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Photo Credit 4: "150319 357 Carmel - Comfort Inn Carmel by the Sea, Calocedrus decurrens, Quercus agrifolia" by cultivar413 is licensed under CC BY 2.0