Eastern red cedar
By LYNN ARTZ, DAVID RODDENBERRY, and SANDY TEDDER
Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a long-lived evergreen conifer with blue green, overlapping, scale-like leaves. It typically grows 40’ tall and 20’ wide with a pyramidal to oval shape. The bark matures to cinnamon-red and peels. Like hollies, red cedars have male and female trees. They reach sexual maturity at about 10 years. Small yellow pollen cones at branch tips on male trees shed windborne pollen in winter. Female trees bear clusters of small, round, berrylike cones that mature in fall. The pale blue seed cones are beloved by cedar waxwings and other wildlife. Juniper hairstreak and imperial moth caterpillars feed on the foliage. Eastern red cedars are extremely drought tolerant, hurricane wind resistant, and salt tolerant. The rot-resistant, insect-repelling wood was used for fence posts, pencils, and cedar chests.
