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Native alternative(s) for Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca':
Abies fraseri Abies fraseri tree
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Taxus baccata
Thujopsis dolabrata Thujopsis dolabrata
Tsuga heterophylla Form

Blue China fir Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca'

Phonetic Spelling
kun-ing-HAM-ee-a lan-see-oh-LAh-ta GLAW-ka
Description

China fir 'Glauca' is an evergreen tree cultivar in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family. This conifer grows fairly slow but can reach 30-70 feet tall and 30-40 feet wide with a pyramidal form. The needles have a powdery coating giving them a blue shade.

Blue China Fir can be used as a large background tree or specimen or pruned down to keep it a shrub shape for hedging. It prefers part shade but tolerates full sun. It also prefers some protection from hot summer or cold winter winds. 

The wood is rot-resistant and has been used for coffins.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. If limbed up it tends to form suckers.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

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Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#large tree#slow growing#blue green needles#conifer#needled evergreen#evergreen tree#partial shade tolerant#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge
 
Form
Form Meneerke bloem CC BY-SA 3.0
Needles
Needles Kerry Woods CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#full sun tolerant#large tree#slow growing#blue green needles#conifer#needled evergreen#evergreen tree#partial shade tolerant#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Cunninghamia
    Species:
    lanceolata
    Family:
    Cupressaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Asia
    Dimensions:
    Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 38 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Pyramidal
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
  • 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:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Spring
    Winter
    Fruit Length:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Width:
    1-3 inches
    Fruit Description:
    1-3 inch woody pine cones persist into spring
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    No flowers
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Gray/Silver
    Leaf Feel:
    Prickly
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Needles
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Whorled
    Leaf Shape:
    Lanceolate
    Linear
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    1-2 inch long needles in a spiral pattern around the stem with blue-gray glaucous coating
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Gray
    Light Gray
    Surface/Attachment:
    Fissured
    Bark Description:
    Bark becomes gray and fissured with age
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Branches whorled, spreading, pendulous at the ends. First-year twigs are green in color.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Lawn
    Naturalized Area
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Winter Garden
    Design Feature:
    Barrier
    Hedge