Atlantic White Cedar vs Northern White-Cedar
These two species only overlap in the wild in a small part of New England, but both are widely planted in landscaping. Both have scale-like foliage and seed cones that release wind-dispersed seeds. They can be easily told apart by their foliage as well as their seed cones; their bark is similar but has some differences. Not all trees can be distinguished by bark. Both prefer moist conditions, but Atlantic white cedar is more restricted to poorly-drained sites. Atlantic white cedar is limited to sites with acidic soils, whereas Northern White Cedar is most likely on more calcium-rich soils.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) | Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) |
A native evergreen conifer of acidic wetlands of the east coast. | A slow-growing, medium-sized coniferous tree of the northeast, found on moist sites and those with neutral to alkaline pH. |
 Foliage is finer, more rounded around the twig, and branches more irregularly. Photo © Kevin Keegan, Public Domain. |  Foliage is thicker, strongly flattened, and branches more, in a highly-regular pattern. Photo © Quinten Wiegersma, CC BY 4.0. |
 Foliage bluish-green. Photo © botanygirl, CC BY 4.0. |  Foliage often yellowish, especially when growing in sun. Photo © Alexis Godin, CC BY 4.0. |
 Unripe seed cones greenish but covered in pale whitish coating, more stout, spherical, and lumpy, with scales not as clearly visible. Photo © Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Public Domain. |  Unripe seed cones are green, longer and narrower, with clearly-visible scales. Photo © Christian Grenier, Public Domain. |
 Bark averages more reddish; ridges tend to be narrower and often spiral around the trunk slightly. Photo © C. Ben Schwamb, CC BY 4.0. |  Bark averages more grayish; ridges tend to be wider, and are more consistently oriented vertically. Photo © Wendelyn Bolles, CC BY 4.0. |
