Cedar, Western Red Essential Oil
Western Red Cedar Essential Oil, Thuja plicata is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. The foliage forms in flat sprays with scale-like leaves in opposite pairs, the successive pairs at 90° to each other. Western Red Cedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. It is among the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest, and is associated with Douglas-fir and Western hemlock in most places where it grows. In addition to growing in lush forests, Western Red Cedar is also a riparian tree, and grows in many forested swamps and streambanks in its range. Western Red Cedar is the Provincial tree of British Columbia. It is also known (mainly in the American horticultural trade) as Giant Arborvitae. The name Western Redcedar is also sometimes split into three words as 'Western Red Cedar', though this can cause confusion, as it is not a cedar.
| Botanical Name: | Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don |
| Family: | Cupressaceae |
| Synonyms: | Pacific red cedar, giant-cedar, arborvitae, canoe-cedar, shinglewood, Western Red Cedar |
| See Also: | |
| Parts Used: | Needles and twigs |
| Extraction Method: | Steam Distillation. |
| Appearance: | Colourless to yellow liquid |
| Aroma Description: | Fresh, Sharp, Woody, |
| Perfume note: | Base, |
| Consistancy: | |
| Strength of Initial Aroma: | |
| Blends well with: | Bergamot, cypress, clary sage, jasmine, juniper, neroli, rosemary, vetiver, ylang, ylang. |
| Historical Uses: | Much used by native Americans for shelter, clothing and medicine, known as 'Tree of Life'. |
| Modern Uses: | Cedar leaf oil is used as a preservative and bonding agent in patent medicines such as vaporizing chest rubs, soaps, detergents and horse liniments. Other for cedar oil include cosmetics, perfumes, room deodorants, car fresheners, insecticides, soap and candle fragrance. |
| Cautions: | No date available |
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