Flora of North America species comparison

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Calocedrus decurrens

California incense cedar, cedro incienso, incense-cedar
Habit Trees to 57 m; trunk to 3.6 m diam.
Bark

cinnamon brown, fibrous, furrowed and ridged.
Leaves

3–14 mm, including long-decurrent base, rounded abaxially, apex acute (often abruptly), usually mucronate.
Pollen cones

red-brown to light brown.
Seed(s)

cones oblong-ovate when closed, red-brown to golden brown, proximal scales often reflexed at cone maturity, median scales then widely spreading to recurved, distal scales erect.
Branchlet

segments mostly 2 or more times longer than wide, broadening distally.
2n

= 22.

Calocedrus decurrens
Habitat Montane forests
Elevation 300–2800 m (1000–9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; Mexico in Baja California
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Incense-cedar is an important commercial softwood species. Its wood, exceptionally resistant to decay and highly durable when exposed to weather, is manufactured into many products, including lumber, pencil stock (for which it is the major United States source), fence posts, shakes, and landscape timbers, which are attractive because of punky spots resulting from fungus. The tree is widely grown as a handsome ornamental.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Cupressaceae > Calocedrus
Synonyms Libocedrus decurrens
Name authority (Torrey) Florin: Taxon 5: 192. (1956)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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