n.
(Latin: "tree of life") Any of six species (genus Thuja ) of resinous, evergreen ornamental and timber conifer s of the cypress family, native to North America and eastern Asia.
Arborvitae trees or shrubs have thin, scaling outer bark and fibrous inner bark; horizontal or ascending branches; and flattened, spraylike branchlets with scalelike leaves. The Oriental, or Chinese, arborvitae ( T. orientalis ), a popular ornamental native to Asia, is a gracefully symmetrical shrub. Arborvitae wood is soft and lightweight but very durable, fragrant, and easily worked. The giant arborvitae ( T. plicata ) is the most important timber-producing species, but the wood of the American arborvitae ( T. occidentalis ) is also frequently used. False arborvitae ( Thujopsis dolabrata ) is closely related.