Eastern Red Cedar (MushroomExpert.Com)

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Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

[ Trees > Conifers > Cedars . . . ] Forest Type: Various

Range

Small to medium-sized eastern conifer with scale-like mature leaves and pointy young leaves; bark reddish brown, in long strips; fruit a bluish berry.

by Michael Kuo

Habitat: Rarely in pure stands; usually mixed with hardwoods; common as a pioneer species in old fields and on poor, rocky soil.

Stature: 30-40 feet high; 1-2 feet in diameter; pyramid-shaped or irregular.

Needles: When young needle-like and sharp, about 1/2 inch long; when mature scale-like and tightly pressed to branchlets; dark green.

Bark: Thin; in hairy strips that begin to peel away; reddish brown.

Fruit: Under 1/2 inch; bluish, with a whitish sheen; berry-like.

Sources: Peattie, D. C. (1991). A Natural History of Trees. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; Preston, R. J. (1989). North American Trees. Ames: Iowa State UP.

Frequent Mushroom Associates:

Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, the "cedar-apple rust," depends on eastern red cedar and apple trees to complete its life cycle. Morel hunters from Tennessee often claim to find morels under red cedar.

Further Online Information:

Eastern Redcedar USFS Fact Sheet (PDF file)
Eastern Red Cedar at Native Conifers of North America

Juniperus virginiana

Young leaves, behind Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, April). Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/juniperus_virginiana.html