Botnical Name –  Thuja  orientalis L.

Common Name – vidhya

Classification –

• Kingdom – Plantae

• Division – Magnoliophyta

• Class - Magnoliopsida

• Order – Pinales

• Family – Cupressaceae

• Genus –Thuja

• Species – orientalis

Characteristics Of Family Cupresssaceae –

This is also called Cypress and Conifer family. The are distinguished in being monoecios or deioecious trees or shrubs with spiral , decussate , or whorled deltoid –subulate, linear , or acicular leaves .

Habitat – Hilly area

Distribition – India – Anurachal Pradesh ,  Assam , Eastern and western Himalayas, Madhya Pradesh.

World distribution - Bhutan , Japan , China , Myanmar , Pakistan , Taiwan , North korea , Russia .

Status – Least concern

Plant description -

Monoecious evergreen trees to 20 m tall and 100 cm . Bark red-brown to light grey-brown, thin, flaking in long strips. 

Leaves decussate, 4-ranked, scalelike, base decurrent, 1-3 mm long, apex bluntly pointed, with an abaxial resin gland, dimorphic along branchlets; lateral leaves overlapping facial ones, boat-shaped, ridged, apex slightly incurved, without conspicuous, white stomatal bands abaxially but with a median groove. 

 Uses

• Thuja orientalis is traditionally used in herbal medicine as an expectorant.

• Thuja has been known to help treat and heal a number of skin condition such as psoriasis , warts, eczema and other common issues.

• Thuja leaves contain an oil called thujone , which may cause side effect or have negative interaction with other drugs or herbs.