Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Oerst. ex D.P. Little

vernacular Alaska cedar — species · Cupressaceae

USDA: CANO9
GBIF: 2683894 syn.
Rank: species

Alaska cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) — Platephotograph · John BrewCC BY source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Growth habit: Tree
Duration: Perennial
Group: Gymnosperm
Family: Cupressaceae Gray
Genus: Callitropsis

§2a

Native status, by region

AK Alaska Native
CAN Canada Native
L48 Lower 48 States Native

§2b

County-level range

· 6 counties across 1 state

Legend Native · 6 Introduced · 0 Both · 0 Hover a county for detail.

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought: Low
Shade: Low
Moisture use: Medium
Fire: Low
Salinity: None
Anaerobic: Low
CaCO₃: None
Hedging: None

§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance: -22 °F minimum
Frost-free days: 111 min.
Precipitation: 45–100 in/yr
pH range: 5.5–7
Root depth: 24 in min.
Fertility need: Low
Soil texture: coarse, medium, fine

§3c

Form & growth

Growth form: Single Stem
Growth rate: Slow
Lifespan: Long
Mature height: 75 ft
Height @ 20 y: 25 ft
Foliage texture: Fine
Foliage colour: Green
Porosity (summer): Dense
Porosity (winter): Dense
Flower colour: Yellow
Fruit colour: Brown
Fire resistant: No
N fixation: None
Toxicity: None

§3d

Reproduction

Bloom period: Mid Spring
Seed abundance: Medium
Seed begins: Fall
Seed ends: Fall
Spread rate: Slow
Stratify: Yes
Seeds / lb: 108,000
Propagation: seed, cuttings, bare root, container

§3e

Use & availability

Commercial availability: Contracting Only
Nursery stock: Yes
Browse palatability: Low
Graze palatability: Low
Palatable, human: No
Lumber: Yes
Fuelwood: Low
Christmas tree: No

§4Counties, by state

Recorded in 6 counties across 1 state.

Alaska view state ↗ 6 N ▾

§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/CANO9 ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/2683894 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26

fetched 2026-05-26T05:06:36Z