Oriental arborvitae

Although generally accepted as only member of its genus, it has been suggested that the closely related species Microbiota decussata could be included in Platycladus, but this is not widely followed. Other fairly close relatives are the genera Juniperus and Cupressus, both of these genera being graft-compatible with Platycladus. In older texts, Platycladus was often included in Thuja, but it is only distantly related to that genus. Differences from Thuja include its distinct cones, wingless seeds, and its almost scentless foliage.

^ Cirrus Digital: Platycladus orientalis Morton Arboretum accession 168-53#3 2. ^ "Platycladus orientalis information from NPGS/GRIN". http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?310211. Retrieved 2008-02-19. General references * Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Platycladus orientalis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 6 May 2006. More

Platycladus orientalis is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. More