thuja

thu·ja

T0193300 (tho͞o′jə, thyo͞o′-)n. See arborvitae.

[New Latin Thuja, arborvitae genus, from Medieval Latin thuia, sandarac, variant of Latin thya, from Greek thuā, thuiā.]

thuja

(ˈθuːjə) or

thuya

n (Plants) any of various coniferous trees of the genus Thuja, of North America and East Asia, having scalelike leaves, small cones, and an aromatic wood: family Cupressaceae. See also arbor vitae[C18: from New Latin, from Medieval Latin thuia, ultimately from Greek thua name of an African tree]

thu•ja

(ˈθu dʒə)

n., pl. -jas. 1. any tree of the genus Thuja, comprising the arborvitaes. 2. the wood of the sandarac tree. [1750–60; < New Latin, Medieval Latin thuia, < Medieval Greek thuía, for Greek thýa kind of African tree]

Thesaurus

Noun

Thuja - red cedar genus Thujagymnosperm genus - a genus of gymnospermsCupressaceae, cypress family, family Cupressaceae - cypresses and junipers and many cedarscanoe cedar, red cedar, Thuja plicata, western red cedar - large valuable arborvitae of northwestern United StatesAmerican arborvitae, northern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, white cedar - small evergreen of eastern North America having tiny scalelike leaves on flattened branchletsOriental arborvitae, Platycladus orientalis, Thuja orientalis - Asiatic shrub or small tree widely planted in United States and Europe; in some classifications assigned to its own genus

Thuja

(in Russian, biota), a genus of monoecious arboreous plants of the family Cupressaceae, represented by one species, Thuja orientalis (Biota orientalis).

The tree attains a height of 8–10 m, but it is more often found as a shrub. The needles on the mature branches are scale-like, in a decussate pattern. The crown is ovate and consists of many flat shoots (“scales”) situated in the vertical plane. The erect-standing cones, when immature, are blue-green, and later are dry and mostly reddish brown. The seeds mature in the second year. Thuja is native to China and Korea. In the southern regions of the USSR it is grown as a decorative plant. Thuja is drought resistant and easily pruned.

REFERENCE

Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol. 1. Moscow-Leningrad, 1949.

A. P. SHIMANIUK

Thuja

(arborvitae), a genus of coniferous evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Cupressaceae. The shoots are flattened, and the scalelike or, in juvenile forms, needlelike leaves are appressed to the stem. The cones are borne on the ends of the branches and consist of three or four pairs of leathery-woody scales. The upper scales are sterile. The seeds, which have two narrow wings, mature in the fall of the first year.

There are five species, distributed in North America and East Asia. The plants do not require special growing conditions; for example, they can tolerate urban industrial pollution. They are used as greenery. The American arborvitae (T. occidentalis), a low tree with a pyramidal or ovate crown, is cultivated in orchards and parks throughout Europe (weeping, dwarf, and variegated-leaf forms). In the USSR the species is grown in the steppe and forest zones as far as Archangel’sk, in Siberia, and in the Far East. Its soft, durable wood is used in its native land—eastern North America—for railroad ties, posts, furniture, and lathed items. The leaves yield an essential oil used in medicine and perfume.

The giant arborvitae (T. plicata) grows in northwestern North America. It is 45–55 m tall and has a conical crown and horizontal branches. The durable wood is highly valued for finish work, for lathe work, and for the production of fences, posts, and similar items. The giant arborvitae is cultivated as an ornamental. In the USSR it is grown in gardens and parks of the European portion, the Black Sea Shore of the Caucasus, and Middle Asia (with irrigation). Other species are less commonly cultivated.

REFERENCE

Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol. 1. Moscow-Leningrad, 1949.

V. N. GLADKOVA

thuya, western red cedar, Pacific red cedar

A soft, lightweight, straight coarse-grained wood that is relatively weak; the sap-wood is white, the heartwood is reddish; because of its durability it is widely used for shingles, tanks, and other exterior applications.

thuja

thu·ja

(thū'jă, -yă), The fresh tops of Thuja occidentalis (family Pinaceae), an ornamental evergreen tree of eastern North America, a source of cedar leaf oil; has been used internally as an expectorant, emmenagogue, and anthelmintic, and externally as a mild counterirritant. Synonym(s): thuya [G. thyia, an African tree with sweet-smelling wood]

thuja

Herbal medicine
Thuja occidentalis. A tree the leaves and twigs of which contain flavonoids, glycosides, mucilage and volatile oils (primarily thujone, but also borneol, camphor, fenchone, limonene, myrcene and pinene). Thuja is anthelmintic, expectorant, and stimulates smooth muscle; it was used by Native Americans to stimulate menstruation, and has been used topically by Western herbalists for skin infections and for rheumatic pain.

Homeopathy
A remedy used for brittle nails, caries, menstrual dysfunction, oily skin and warts.

Chinese medicine
Thuja orientalis, see there.

thu·ja

(thū'yă) The fresh tops of Thuja occidentalis, an ornamental evergreen tree of eastern North America, a source of cedar leaf oil; used internally as an expectorant, anthelmintic, and a drug to cause menstruation, anthelmintic, and externally as a mild counterirritant. Also spelled thuya. [G. thyia, an African tree with sweet-smelling wood]

Thuja

Related to Thuja: arborvitae, thuja oil

noun

Synonyms for Thuja

noun red cedar

Synonyms

genus Thuja

Related Words

gymnosperm genus
Cupressaceae
cypress family
family Cupressaceae
canoe cedar
red cedar
Thuja plicata
western red cedar
American arborvitae
northern white cedar
Thuja occidentalis
white cedar
Oriental arborvitae
Platycladus orientalis
Thuja orientalis