Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Snowflake' is a slow-growing, rounded conical selection of Hinoki cypress with sage-green juvenile foliage and numerous flecks of creamy-white variegation growing throughout, which resemble tiny snowflakes. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 1.5 to 2 feet (50 - 60 cm) tall and two-thirds as wide, a growth rate of 2 inches (5 cm).
This cultivar originated as a variegated branch sport found in 1980 on a specimen of Ch. obtusa 'Chabo yadori' by John Emery who introduced it to the nursery trade through his nursery, Drue Wholesale Nursery, Berry, Australia. Kristick Nursery of Wellsville, Pennsylvania is credited for the U.S. introduction in the 1990s.
