Portuguese Laurel
Prunus lusitanica
Height20 to 30 ftSpread15 to 20 ftGrowth1 to 2 ft / yrZones7 to 9
Moderate maintenance1 / 4
Two Excelsa cedars on a lawn · Photo: JFKCom, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
- Two Excelsa cedars on a lawn. Photo by JFKCom, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Excelsa cedar in a park. Photo by Baummapper, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Excelsa cedar trunks and canopy. Photo by Baummapper, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
Evergreen conifer
Excelsa Cedar
Thuja plicata 'Excelsa'
A tidier cultivar of our native red cedar. Stays dense and symmetrical without reaching forest size.
- Max height
- 40 ft
- Typical height
- 30 to 40 ft
- Spread
- 12 to 20 ft
- Growth per year
- 1 to 2 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 8
- Native to
- Garden form of western red cedar, from western North America
MaintenanceLow
Tolerates hedging and shearing. Give it summer water in dry years.
See it at scale
Excelsa Cedar, up to 40 ft tall and 20 ft wide
Compare with
Similar trees
Same use, closest in size
Green Giant Arborvitae
Thuja standishii x plicata
Height40 to 60 ftSpread12 to 18 ftGrowth2 to 3 ft / yrZones5 to 9
Low maintenance
Austrian Pine
Pinus nigra
Height40 to 60 ftSpread20 to 40 ftGrowth12 to 18 in / yrZones4 to 7
Low maintenance