Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is also called eastern white-cedar, arborvitae, and swamp-cedar. In mature examples, the overstory canopy reaches heights of 40 to 60 feet up to 20 across. The name arborvitae or "the tree of life" the name is an honest one. In 1535-36 the French explorer Jacques Cartier learned from an Indian named Domagaia how to cure scurvy by drinking an infusion made from the cedar's Vitamin C rich needles. A record tree in Michigan the trunk measures 69" in diameter at 4.5 feet above ground and 113 ft in height.