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)
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) A native evergreen conifer of acidic wetlands of the east coast.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) A slow-growing, medium-sized coniferous tree of the northeast, found on moist sites and those with neutral to alkaline pH.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Foliage is finer, more rounded around the twig, and branches more irregularly. Photo © Kevin Keegan, Public Domain.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Foliage is thicker, strongly flattened, and branches more, in a highly-regular pattern. Photo © Quinten Wiegersma, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Foliage bluish-green. Photo © botanygirl, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Foliage often yellowish, especially when growing in sun. Photo © Alexis Godin, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) 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.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Unripe seed cones are green, longer and narrower, with clearly-visible scales. Photo © Christian Grenier, Public Domain.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Bark averages more reddish; ridges tend to be narrower and often spiral around the trunk slightly. Photo © C. Ben Schwamb, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Bark averages more grayish; ridges tend to be wider, and are more consistently oriented vertically. Photo © Wendelyn Bolles, CC BY 4.0.

References & External Resources

These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.