Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Pygmaea Aurescens' / Pygmaea Aurescens Hinoki cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Pygmaea Aurescens' is a flat-topped, broadly globose selection of Hinoki cypress with sprays of coppery-orange foliage. Structurally, it is similar to its parent plant, Ch. obtusa 'Pygmaea,' but due to reduced chlorophyll in its foliage, 'Pygmaea Aurescens' is slightly slower growing, reaching heights of 3 feet (1 m) tall and 4 feet (1.3 m) wide after 10 years, an annual growth rate of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).

This cultivar originated as a branch sport on Ch. obtusa 'Pygmaea' found in the mid-1930s by K. Wezeleburg & Son Nursery, Boskoop, The Netherlands.

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Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Pygmaea Aurescens' — this widespreading, globe-shapped conifer has distinctive colored foliage: bronze-green during the growing season and orange-copper in the winter; a useful color accent.
Photo by Iseli Nursery, Inc.
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Pygmaea Aurescens' — a closeup of foliage detail.
Photo by Bill Barger
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Pygmaea Aurescens' — a young specimen in a large arboretum.
Photo by Bill Barger

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