The American Arbor-Vitæ is a small tree growing very much in the spiry
form of the juniper, but narrower in the lower part. It is like the
juniper also in its numerous and irregularly disposed branches. It is
not seen in the woods near Boston; and it is rare even in cultivated
grounds, where the Siberian Arbor-Vitæ, on account of its superior
foliage, is preferred. The American tree grows abundantly in high
northern latitudes. It is remarkable, with its kindred species, for the
flattened shape of its leaves; and in its native woods it is hardly ever
without a mixture of yellow and faded leaves interspersed with the green
and healthy foliage. The terminal branch invested by the
leaflets—resembling scales, and not a true leaf—constitutes this
fan-like appendage, resembling the frond of a fern. The leaves have the
flavor and odor of tansy.
In Maine the Arbor-Vitæ, next to the black spruce and hemlock, is more
frequent than any other of the evergreens. It delights in cold, damp
soils, and abounds on the rocky shores of streams and lakes. It
sometimes constitutes a forest of several acres, with but a slight
intermixture of other trees, predominating in proportion to the wetness
of the soil. In the driest parts of these bogs we find the black spruce,
the hemlock, the red birch, and, rarely, a few white pines.