Knowledgebase
help identifying a plant #898213
Asked April 22, 2025, 2:10 PM EDT
It has been suggested that I contact your office.
I have been trying to identify a plant in my yard that was damaged and I'd like to replace it with the same variety.
It looks like an arborvitae but different shape (Spherical) and, most importantly, is immune to the deer damage that every other arborvitae suffers in our community.
The local nurseries say it doesn't exist and suggest I just plant the ones they sell. (deer food.) I get it, it's what they do.
Is identifying this plant something you can help with and what do I need to do?
Thanks for any direction.
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Conifer identification can be difficult and conifer cultivar identification can be much more difficult, as some species have hundreds of cultivars. However, we can definitely narrow this down with some more information. If you have lots of deer browsing in your area but they are not bothering this plant, I think that you are right to suspect that it is a different species than the typical American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis).
There are many cultivars of the oriental arborvitae (often sold as Thuja orientalis but now considered to be a different genus, Platycladus orientalis). The oriental arborvitae is less susceptible to deer browsing than the American arborvitae. The foliage can appear very similar, but their fruiting structures are different. Are there any older cones on the tree? if so, can you take a photo of them? Do you remember seeing bluish-gray fruits (the cones before they open) on this plant?
There is one other species that this plant could be - Hiba arborvitae (Thujopsis dolabrata). This species is much less susceptible to deer browsing than the other two. There are far fewer cultivars of this species but there are dwarf forms, but they are extremely slow growing. How old do you think this plant is...do you know how long it has been growing in this location? The foliage of Hiba arborvitae are thicker and just slightly different. Could you cut a few pieces and photograph both sides of a branch again a white piece of paper (with maybe a pencil or a coin next to it for scale)?
Also, does the foliage bronze up in winter? Does is appear more golden in later spring/summer?
If you are looking for an American arborvitae-like plant that the deer are much less likely to eat, I would consider planting this species. The problem is that they can be hard to find in commerce. You might have to consider mail order and starting with small plants.
If you can respond to the questions above and send a few more pics, I think we can determine which species you have...but it is most likely oriental arborvitae or Hiba arborvitae.
