

Nootka cypresses are tall trees, and will commonly reach heights of up to 40 meters. This widespread helps protect the tree against storms and windthrow.īecause cypress trees tend to grow in areas that are very moist, much like the west coast of North America, they do not need to develop taproots in order to access moisture reserves deep in the earth. They do not grow very deep into the soil, but they will grow more widely than the spread of the crown. What do Nootka Cypress Trees Look Like? Root SystemĬypress roots tend to develop very wide and laterally spreading root systems. This is why the Nootka has foliage smooth like a woman’s hair, and why the trunk is smooth like a woman’s body. The women eventually turned into Nootka trees, and this is why the Nootka grows where it does. The raven took its chance to grab their unattended salmon, while the women got lost up in the mountains. The women, now scared, ran up the side of the mountain to hide from the owl call, leaving their drying salmon unattended. The raven flew away and hid in the trees and began to imitate the call of an owl. The women all said that they were afraid of owls, which gave the trickster raven an idea. Were they afraid of bears? Of wolves? Of being alone?Įach of the 3 women said no to all of the raven’s questions until the raven asked if they were afraid of owls. The raven went on to ask the women what they were afraid of. It is said that a raven came upon 3 young women who were busy drying salmon on a beach. With a tree so majestic and unique looking, it surely has a special story behind it. There is a legend from the Hesquiaht First Nations community that describes the origins of the Nootka cypress tree. Related: Arizona Cypress Tree | Patagonia Cypress TreeįAQs The Origin Story of the Nootka Cypress No matter how small, large, exotic, or local, we have much to learn about the tree community. If you’re feeling curious about some other trees, look no further than right here! We’ve compiled a crazy list of 101 Types of Trees from all over the world. However, not everyone agrees with this placement as the morphology of the trees’ cones are far more similar to trees found in the genus Cupressus. The Nootka cypress was originally placed in the genus Cupressus but was then moved to the genus Chamaecyparis because of the similar flattened foliage sprays as the genus. That may not seem particularly old compared to say the Bristlecone pine tree, but it is considering that the average life expectancy of Nootka cypress trees is only 70 years! The Caren range that can be found in British Columbia is where the oldest Nootka cypress tree grows. This conifer evergreen tree is native to only the coastal regions of northwestern North America. The epithet nootkatensis comes from the First Nations people of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, that goes by the name Nuu-chah-nulth. They are also referred to as the yellow cypress, weeping cypress, weeping Nootka cypress, weeping Alaskan cedar, Alaskan cypress, Alaskan cedar, Nootka cedar, yellow cedar, and finally, the Alaskan yellow cedar.


The Nootka cypress tree goes by many names. Cupressus Nootkatensis/ Chamaecyparis Nootkatensis ‘Pendula’
