Chamaecyparis thyoides is an evergreen coniferous tree usually growing to 20â28 m (66â92 ft) (but may grow up to 35 m (115 ft)) tall with an average diameter of 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in), up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), and feathery foliage in moderately flattened sprays, green to glaucous blue-green in color. The leaves are scale-like, 2â4 mm (3â32â5â32 in) long, and produced in opposite decussate pairs on somewhat flattened shoots; seedlings up to a year old have needle-like leaves. The tree is bare of branches for three-fourths of the trunk height and the bark can be ash-gray to reddish brown. Bark is smooth on juveniles, but mature trees have deep ridges and bark as thick as 5 cm (2 in). C. thyoides is monoecious, so a single tree will carry both the pollen and seeds needed for reproduction in cones. The seed cones are globose, 4â9 mm (5â32â11â32 in) diameter, with 6-10 scales (1-2 seeds per scale), green or purple, maturing to brown in 5â7 months after pollination. The pollen cones are yellow but turn brown as the tree matures, 1.5â3 mm (1â16â1â8 in) long and 1â2 mm (1â32â3â32 in) broad, releasing their yellow pollen once a year in spring. The tree begins bearing seeds at 4â5 years, but does not reach full maturity and start producing cones until it is 10-20 year olds. Seeds are dispersed nearly every year and travel by wind.[11] Height and diameter of the tree increase steadily until the tree is 50 years old, at which point height growth slows. Both height and diameter no longer increase once the tree is 100 years old. Stands are generally all younger than 200 years, though some trees as old as a 1000 years have been reported. Because they have relatively shallow roots, C. thyoides are vulnerable to being blown over by wind.