Chinese Coffin Tree

This tree reaches up to 50m in the wild, with a buttressed base, but in cultivation is very much shorter. Taiwania cryptomerioides is a tall, evergreen tree with a columnar or conical habit and slender, drooping branches. The dark grey-brown bark peels off in strips. The awl- or sickle-shaped, sharply pointed, juvenile needles become scale-like as the tree ages. Mature trees produce cylindrical cones 12mm long. This tree is particularly good in an architectural or low-maintenance garden. Chinese coffin tree is an easy tree, needs no pruning, and is pest- and disease-free. The wood is soft but durable, and attractively scented, and was used in the past for temple-building and coffins – hence the name.

Site: Sheltered
Soil: Moist but well-drained, acid to neutral soil
Position: Full sun
Season of interest: All year
Hardiness: Very hardy
Height:  Higher than 50’ (15m) Spread: Wider than 26’ (8m) in 20-50 years