Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Confucius' is an informal, bushy, golden selection of Hinoki cypress that, although superficially similar to Ch. obtusa 'Nana Aurea,' is slightly faster growing and more spreading in structure with flattened sprays of foliage. Foliage is bright creamy yellow-green with bronze-green tips in winter that contrast with brown stems. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 4 to 5 feet (1.3 - 1.6 m) tall and two-thirds as wide, an annual rate of growth of 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm).
This cultivar originated as a seedling selected in the early 1980s at Duncan & Davies Nursery, New Plymouth, New Zealand. Noteworthy is that the plant was originally listed as Ch. obtusa 'Confucious,' an obvious misspelling. In 1992, the nursery trade began accepting the corrected cultivar name.
