Eastern Red Cedar
'Juniperus Virginiana'
A small tree with a short trunk and irregular, pyramidal
crown native to the eastern United States
Dwarf or compact forms of this juniper are used as ornamentals.
The largest tree in North Dakota is 51 feet tall with a canopy spread of 30 feet
Information
Height & Growth
Growth Habit – Fairly dense pyramidal when young,
much more open to slightly pendulous when mature.
Texture – Medium, summer and winter.
Crown Height – 30 to 45 feet.
Crown Width – 15 to 30 feet.
Bark Color – Gray-brown, exfoliating in long strips.
Root System – Deep, penetrating taproot.
Soils
Soil Texture – Moist, deep loam to sand.
Soil pH – 6.0 to 8.0. Will tolerate alkaline and saline
conditions.
Windbreak Suitability Group – 1, 1K, 3, 4, 4C, 5, 6D, 6G, 7,
8, 9C, 9L.
Cold Hardiness
USDA Zone 2
Water & Light
Water
Drought tolerant, but prefers moist soils.
Light
Full sun. Tolerates shade only in youth.
Leaves & Buds
Bud Arrangement – Continuous.
Bud Color – Same as leaves, hard to distinguish from
leaves.
Bud Size – 1/8 inch.
Leaf Type and Shape – Simple scale and awl-like leaves.
Leaf Margins – Sawtooth serrations
Leaf Surface – Prickly.
Leaf Length – Variable lengths, indeterminate growth,
juvenile leaves in pairs 1/5 to 1/4 inch, ending in a spiny
point.
Leaf Width – 1/16 inch.
Leaf Color – Concave and glaucous above, green and
convex below
Flowers & Fruit
Flower Type – Unisexual, usually dioecious.
Flower Color – Female, green; male, yellow-brown.
Fruit Type – Cones, globose or ovoid, and deeply pitted,
typical juniper “berry”, mature in one year; 1 to 3 ovate
seeds.
Fruit Color – Shiny brown seeds in dark blue, berry-like
cones with heavy glaucous coating.
Best Uses
Conservation/Windbreaks
Small to medium evergreen for farmstead and field
windbreaks.
Wildlife
Fruit matures in one season. Provides food for birds and
mammals. Nesting and winter cover for a variety of birds.
Browse for whitetail deer.
Agroforestry Products
Wood – Used for fence posts, cedar chests, pencils, and
medicines. Heartwood is decay resistant.
Food – Berry-like cones used in alcohol products.
Medicinal – Native Americans used for coughs, head colds
and dysentery.
Urban/Recreational
Good for ornamental landscaping. The species, as well
as most cultivars, turn brown in the winter
Pests & Disease
Common diseases include cedar-apple rust (Gymnosporangium) and Kabatina tip blight.
Common insect
pests include spider mites. Red cedars should not be
planted near apple, crabapple, juneberries, or hawthorns
due to increased risk of damage by Gymnosporangium
rusts. Cedar oil extract of Juniperus species has been
effective control of clothes moths.