Port Orford Cedar

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 901 plants under Chamaecyparis lawsoniana across 2 entries dated 1931–1951. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).

Names and classification

Scientific name

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Common names

Port Orford Cedar · Lawson cypress

Other names

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana · Port Orford cedar · Lawson cypress

Record type

Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence

Recorded on Kauaʻi

Origin

Introduced

Conservation status

Not yet assessed

Evidence date

2026-10-06

Evidence limits

Current survival on Kauaʻi, number of trees, occupied habitat, flowering or fruiting, recruitment, population trend, and ecological effects are all unconfirmed; no naturalization or invasive severity is inferred from the historical planting record.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats

Not yet assessed

Food and resource needs

Not yet assessed

Reproduction

Small pollen cones and seed cones occur on the same tree; wind pollination precedes first-year cone maturation and release of winged seeds. Kauaʻi cone production, seed viability, and recruitment are unconfirmed.

Shelter

Not yet assessed

Growth form

Evergreen conifer tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring

Not yet assessed

Data gaps

Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing

Not yet assessed

Seasonal description

Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native to temperate forests of southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. A 1980 forestry ledger documents Kauaʻi plantings in 1931 and 1951; no present survival, cone production, or regeneration is inferred.

Sources and further reading

• https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:261839-1
• https://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200005409
• https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/47617.pdf