Thuja plicata 'Cuprea' is a slow-growing, dense, conical, bush-form of western red-cedar that does not form a terminal leader. Its overall structure consists of short, closely-spaced branchlets with nodding tips and deep green foliage with light yellow highlights on exposed surfaces. In winter the color becomes creamy- to copper-colored, a distinctive feature. After 10 years of growth, a specimen will be considered matured at 1.5 feet (45 cm) tall and 2 feet (60 cm) tall, a rate of growth of 2 inches (5 cm) per year, slightly more outward than up.
This cultivar originated as a seedling selected in 1930 by W.H. Rogers & Sons Nursery, Southhampton, England, United Kingdom. It should also be noted that the seed parent was Thuja plicata 'Aurea'.