Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
The Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a hardy, adaptable evergreen conifer of eastern North America, remarkable for its ability to thrive on the poorest, thinnest, most drought-prone soils where few other trees can survive. Despite its common name, it is not a true cedar (Cedrus) but rather the most widely distributed juniper in the eastern United States, recognizable by its aromatic reddish heartwood, its tiny scale-like or awl-shaped leaves, and its waxy, berry-like seed cones.
• Not a true cedar — it is a juniper (Juniperus), the largest genus in the Cupressaceae family
• The aromatic, reddish heartwood is the source of the familiar "cedar" scent used in chests, closets, and pencils
• One of the first trees to colonize abandoned farmland, limestone glades, and disturbed sites throughout eastern North America
• Produces distinctive fleshy, berry-like cones (often called "juniper berries") that are a crucial winter food source for many birds
• Dioecious — individual trees are either male or female
• The wood is naturally rot- and insect-resistant due to its high oil content
Taxonomie
• Ranges from southern Maine and southern Ontario westward to southern Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska
• Extends southward to eastern Texas, the Gulf Coast, and northern Florida
• Found at elevations from near sea level to approximately 1,500 meters in the Appalachian Mountains
• The most widely distributed juniper in eastern North America
• First described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753
• Two recognized varieties: var. virginiana (typical, eastern) and var. silicicola (southern, coastal)
• Once restricted mainly to limestone glades and cliffs by frequent wildfires, but has expanded dramatically since European settlement due to fire suppression
• Now one of the most common woody plants in old fields, pastures, and fence rows throughout the eastern United States
Size:
• Typically 10 to 20 meters tall, occasionally reaching 25 meters
• Trunk diameter: 20 to 80 cm, occasionally up to 1.5 meters in old specimens
• Crown is dense, broadly conical to columnar in youth, becoming more rounded and irregular with age
Bark:
• Thin, fibrous, reddish-brown to grayish-brown, shredding in long, narrow, longitudinal strips
• The reddish inner bark is aromatic when cut
Leaves:
• Two distinct forms on the same tree: scale-like leaves (1 to 2 mm long, appressed to the twig) on mature growth, and awl-shaped leaves (3 to 6 mm long, spreading) on young shoots and vigorous growth
• Dark green to bluish-green, sometimes taking on a bronze or purplish tinge in winter
• Opposite or whorled in arrangement
Fruit (seed cones):
• Fleshy, berry-like, globose, 3 to 6 mm in diameter
• Greenish when young, maturing to dark blue-purple with a waxy whitish bloom
• Contain 1 to 4 seeds
• Mature in one growing season (autumn of the first year)
• Persist on the tree through winter
Habitat:
• Extremely adaptable, growing on dry limestone glades, rocky outcrops, sandy soils, old fields, pastures, and fencerows
• Shade-intolerant, relying on disturbance or open conditions for establishment
• Tolerant of drought, poor soils, and extreme temperatures
• Often the first woody species to colonize abandoned agricultural land
• Found in cedar glades — unique limestone ecosystems of the southeastern United States that harbor rare endemic species
Ecosystem role:
• The fleshy "berries" are a critical winter food source for cedar waxwings (named for their association with the tree), American robins, northern flickers, and many other bird species
• Dense foliage provides excellent winter cover and nesting sites for birds including northern cardinals, mockingbirds, and white-throated sparrows
• Foliage browsed by white-tailed deer, especially in winter
• The tree serves as a host for cedar-apple rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae), a fungal disease that requires both redcedar and apple/crabapple to complete its life cycle
• Considered invasive in some grassland ecosystems where fire suppression has allowed it to dominate former prairies
Anecdote
The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is literally named after its habit of feeding on eastern redcedar berries, and large flocks of these sleek, masked birds descend on redcedar trees each winter to gorge on the waxy blue fruit. The red tips on the waxwing's secondary flight feathers are actually composed of the same waxy compound found in the juniper berries they eat.
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