Cupressus nootkatensis 'Compacta' is a large, compact, bushy form of Nootka cypress that, with age, develops a graceful open crown. Foliage is species-typical light green, growing upright in adult form. There is a reportedly another form listed under this name with similar form and structure, but entirely juvenile foliage. It's quite likely that they are two entirely different selections and that one of them deserves a separate cultivar name.
After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 4.5 feet (1.5 m) tall and wide, an annual growth rate of 4 to 5 inches (10 - 12.5 cm).
This is an cultivar in the trade that is of unknown origin, but thought to have originated in Germany in the early 1870s.