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Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco

Synonym	:	Biota chengii (Bordères & Gaussen) Bordères & Gaussen
Family	:	Cupressaceae
Local name	:	English - Oriental thuja Malayalam  - Thuja
Flowering and fruiting period	:	February-May
Distribution	:	East Asia (West China, North Korea)
Distribution in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Grown as garden plant
Uses	:	It is mainly used as an antirheumatic. The cones are crushed and soaked in alcohol for 2–3 days. Painful joints are rubbed with the extract. Small branches are used to make a tea which is drunk to overcome varicose veins, haemorrhoids and menopausal problems.
Key botanical characters:  Small trees; bark reddish brown to light greyish brown, thin, flaking in long strips; crown ovoid-pyramidal when young. Leaves apex bluntly pointed; facial leaves rhomboid, with a conspicuous, linear, glandular groove at centre abaxially; lateral leaves overlapping facial ones, boat-shaped, ridged, apex slightly incurved. Male cones yellowish green, ovoid, 2-3 mm. Seed cones when immature bluish green, sub globose, when ripe reddish brown; proximal 2 fertile cone scales 2-seeded, distal 2 fertile scales 1-seeded. Seeds greyish brown or purplish brown, slightly ridged.