Chamaecyparis formosensis is a species of Chamaecyparis,endemic to Taiwan, where it grows in the central mountains at moderate to high altitudes of 1000–2900m. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-cutting for its valuable timber.

It is a slow-growing, but long-lived and ultimately large to very large coniferous tree growing to 55–60m tall with a trunk up to 7m in diameter. The bark is red-brown, vertically fissured and with a stringy texture. The foliage is arranged in flat sprays; adultleaves are scale-like, 1–3 mm long, with pointed tips, green both above and below with only an inconspicuous stomatal band at the base of each scale-leaf; they are arranged in opposite decussate pairs on the shoots. The juvenile leaves, found on young seedlings, are needle-like, 4–8mm long, soft and glaucous bluish-green. The cones are ovoid-oblong, 6–12mm long and 4–8mm diameter, with 8–16 scales arranged in opposite pairs, maturing in autumn about 7–8 months after pollination.