Thuja orientalis (Oriental Arborvitae, Platycladus orientalis, Thuja acuta , Biota orientalis)

A densely branched conifer, a tree or shrub, vertical when young, more open with age, bright green scale like leaves, darker on older trees, used for hedges and specimen trees, 1" cones, many cultivated varieties, often shrubby, with tiered branches, especially popular in the southern U.S., native to northern China and Korea.  * The common name 'arborvitae' is from Latin, 'tree of life', and is based on its association with long life and vitality in Buddhist thought in China. This is probably based on the tree's unchanging evergreen nature in the cold dry climate of northwest China, and its longevity, some of the larger specimens planted around Buddhist temples in China are said to be in excess of 1,000 years old.