‘Emerald Green’ Arborvitae Trees

Plant taxonomy classifies arborvitae under the botanical name, Thuja occidentalis. ‘Emerald Green’ is one of its cultivars. You will also see ‘Smaragd’ listed as the cultivar name. That is because the plant was originally developed in Denmark (Smaragd translates from the Danish as “Emerald”).

The common name for these conifers is often misspelled, “arbor vitae” (technically, when spelled as two words, it is an anatomical term, being part of the cerebellum, not a tree). The term is Latin and means “tree of life,” due to the alleged medicinal value of its resin, as is discussed in this article on the ‘North Pole’ cultivar. Oddly, this is a case in which a plant’s common name and scientific name, while different, are both Latin.

‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae is an evergreen in the Cypress family (Cupressaceae). Although some might say they are, technically, tall shrubs, they are commonly referred to as “trees,” which is how they are treated here.