Juniperus virginiana, eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana or more commonly known as the eastern red cedar is a part of the Cupressaceae family, its natural range extends from parts of central and eastern Texas up to New York. Juniperus virginiana is an evergreen tree with an often angled, soft silvery exfoliating trunk that supports a narrow columnar crown that could become irregular and unruly if left unattended to.  All this growth sits atop a rounded bottom when the tree is young, though once mature the overall form is very varied. This general description should fit most examples of Juniperus virginiana; however, there are a few dwarf varieties that grow to form small rounded bushes. Most examples of this species grow to an average height of 30 to 40 feet, but some specimens have been recorded to reach a height of 90 feet. Juniperus virginiana features needle-like foliage that has a scaly texture which can be either coarse or fine. The foliage is very fragrant, and the color can vary between light and dark green with some varieties even having hues of grey and blue in varying degrees of intensity, all of which fade to a brown in the winter. One more point of identification of Juniperus virginiana is the small pale blue fruits that form on the female trees, which are actually modified cones (Mathews, 2015). Although native to the east coast and plains of the U.S., Juniperus virginiana can grow in zones 2–10 and requires little water and little regular maintenance to thrive. Often planted in rows to create a screen of green, Juniperus virginiana’s foliage absorbs sound well and makes these ideal candidates for blocking road noise and creating natural privacy walls. However, it should be noted that Juniperus virginiana is susceptible to cedar apple rust. The Native Americans were the first to utilize Juniperus virginiana to its full potential by creating furniture, mats, instruments from its fragrant heartwood, and even adding it to food as flavoring (Juniperus virginiana, n.d). Although Juniperus virginiana does not have showy flowers or flashy foliage, it still deserves the attention it receives because of its wonderful aroma and subtle beauty as well as its usefulness both as green infrastructure and once it has been harvested.  

Works cited

Juniperus virginiana. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juniperus-virginiana/ 

Mathews, R. (2015, November 11). Plant Database. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=juvi