Eastern RedcedarJuniperus virginiana

The eastern redcedar grows to a height of 40–50' and a spread of 8–20' at maturity.

The eastern redcedar grows in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well-drained and clay soils. The tree can withstand occasional flooding yet has good drought tolerance.

• Loves the sun, growing best in open spaces.
• Features scale-like evergreen leaves compacted to form rounded or 4-sided branchlets.
• Produces rounded fruit that is gray or bluish-green in color and about ¼" in diameter. This fruit resembles a berry but is actually a cone made of fused cone scales.
• Develops deep roots.
• Tolerates heat, wind and salt.
• Grows in a columnar or pyramidal shape.
• Should not be planted near apple trees due to cedar-apple rust.

Eastern redcedar twigs and foliage are eaten by browsers while the fruit is eaten most extensively by cedar waxwings. Evergreen foliage provides nesting and roosting cover for sparrows, robins, mockingbirds, juncos and warblers.

The eastern redcedar is an ancient tree, dating to aboriginal America, where fossil evidence indicates it covered large portions of the continent. Early explorers took note of the tree. Arthur Barlowe and Phillip Amadus were quoted as saying the trees were "the tallest and reddest cedars in the world" when they arrived at Roanoke Island in 1564. Colonial craftsmen lost no time in using the wood from the eastern redcedar for furniture and fences, as it had superior weathering capability and was easy to work with. The wood was a staple of the pencil industry for over a century until supplies became exhausted and the industry switched to more plentiful western cedars.