The difference between Juniperus chinensis and Thuja orientalis

Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are common symbols of backbone in the works of poets. In fact, cypress is also a kind of evergreen tree and is not inferior to them. There are many cypress trees in the Temple of Heaven Park. They stand tall and majestically, giving people a sense of solemnity. These cypresses are divided into Juniperus chinensis and Thuja orientalis, both of which are evergreen species. They have many similarities in appearance and characteristics, and are generally difficult to distinguish from a distance. Next, I will teach you how to quickly identify and distinguish the two.

Different appearance

Juniper: The branches of young trees usually extend obliquely upward to form a spire-shaped crown, while the large branches at the bottom of old trees spread out to form a broad round crown.

Platycladus orientalis: The branches extend upward or spread obliquely. The crown of young trees is ovate and spire-shaped, while the crown of old trees is broad and round.

Different leaves

Juniperus chinensis: The leaves are dimorphic, that is, both spiny leaves and scaly leaves can be seen on the same plant.

Platycladus orientalis: All leaves are scale-like, flat, and arranged in a plane on the twigs.

Different flowers

The flowers of the juniper are dioecious, and in most cases only male or female cones can be seen on a juniper.

The flowers of Platycladus orientalis are monoecious, and both male and female cones can be seen on the same Platycladus orientalis.

Different cones

Juniper: The cones are nearly spherical, covered with white powder, with ridges and a few resin grooves. It matures in two years and is dark brown when ripe.

Platycladus orientalis: The cones are oval or nearly elliptical, with an outward-curved tip at the top, gray-brown or purple-brown, and covered with a layer of white powder. It matures in the same year, and becomes reddish brown with a cracked texture when mature.

Appreciation and location distribution of ancient and famous trees in Temple of Heaven Park

We can trace the planting of cypress trees back to the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420 AD). They are not only one of the carriers of the Temple of Heaven culture and witness the history of the Temple of Heaven, but also one of the carriers of the ancient capital culture of Beijing and witness the history of the city construction when the Ming Dynasty Yongle relocated the capital to Beijing.

Platycladus orientalis is a kind of tree that can sometimes grow to more than 20 meters, with a breast diameter of about one to two meters. The bark of the arborvitae is a lighter gray. The branches are horizontal, and all the branches appear to be almost on the same plane when viewed from a distance. The leaves of Platycladus orientalis are relatively small and fish-scale shaped. It looks like a cone.

As a specialty of our country, Platycladus orientalis is distributed all over the country. Platycladus orientalis has a relatively long lifespan and is often used for afforestation. Some of the arborvitae are planted artificially, while others grow on their own. Platycladus orientalis is accustomed to living in moist soil, can adapt to relatively cold climates, and can grow tenaciously in various environments.

Juniper is also a kind of tree, and like the arborvitae, it can grow to more than 20 meters. The difference is that the branches of the juniper are not on the same plane, but branches grow in every direction. And the leaves that grow are also very different. Some of the leaves of the juniper look like fish scales, and some look like hedgehog thorns.

The appearance of the juniper tree is like a pointed round tower. These characteristics make it easy to distinguish between arborvitae and juniper. The requirements of the juniper for the soil bag are not very high. No matter what the acidity and alkalinity of the soil bag is, the juniper can grow normally. Juniper is also accustomed to living in places with sufficient sunlight.