Rubicon White Cypress Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Red Star'
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Rubicon'
- Phonetic Spelling
- kam-ee-SIP-a-riss thy-OY-deez
- Description
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‘Red Star' is a cultivar of white cypress. It is a woody, needled evergreen tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family. The parent plant is native to the wetlands and bogs of eastern United States. This cultivar was first discovered in the 1960s in Winchester, Tennessee by Humphrey J. Welch at the Tennessee Valley Nursery and it is known for its colorful needles that provide year round interest by changing from silvery blue in the spring to deep green blue in the summer and purple-bronze in the winter. The genus name derives from the Greek word chamai, for dwarf or low to the ground, and kyparissos, for cypress.
It requires full sun to partial shade, loam or sandy moist soil with a neutral to acidic pH and good drainage, though the plant tolerates wet soils where other evergreen plants suffer. The best winter color will appear in full sun.
It is a dense, columnar small tree or shrub with silver to blue-green foliage during the warm season that turns a deep reddish-purple in the cold season. Cone clusters provide winter interest. It may take 10 years to fully mature to 15 to 25 feet tall and 4 to 12 feet wide.
‘Red Star’ is an easy to grow low maintenance plant for coastal gardens. Plant a specimen in a container, lawn, or near a pond. It is also conducive to mass planting or planting in small groups. Add it to rain, rock, or winter gardens. It is deer resistant.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University
Additional video Chamaecyparis Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Chamaecyparis
- Species:
- thyoides
- Family:
- Cupressaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Columnar
- Dense
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Description:
- Confier, no fruit, produces cones
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- Conifer, no flowers
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Short scale-like foliage is silver blue in the spring and blue green in the summer and red-purple bronze in the winter providing a lot of interest throughout the year.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Lawn
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Rain Garden
- Rock Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Foundation Planting
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Small Tree
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Pollution
- Wet Soil
