White cedar

Also known as annedda, eastern white cedar played an important healing role during the voyage of Jacques Cartier's crew. Upon arrival on First Nations lands, the crew suffered from scurvy, a terrible disease caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency. An infusion of white cedar concocted by the Aboriginals helped the crew dispel their ailments. Thuja was used for a multitude of tasks, such as making ropes and canoes. It was also used to make the first spouts for harvesting sugar maple sap.

Native to eastern North America, the eastern white cedar is one of the few conifers to have abandoned its needles for scale-like foliage. It can reach heights of 15 to 20 metres, with a diameter of over 1 metre. It is often associated with eternity, as it is blessed with a long life that can reach the honorable age of 500 years. It thrives in swampy or very dry areas. There's nothing like a beautiful moss cedar to evoke the enchantment of the forest. 

This tree represents healing and senescence.