Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana is native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Eastern red cedar is a small evergreen that grows 16 to 66 feet tall. The aromatic, rot-resistant wood deters moths and is used to line closets and clothes chests. This tree is not a true cedar but a member of the juniper family and closely related to Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum).
Identifying Characteristics:
- Leaves are scalelike, no more than twice as long as wide.
- Branchlets are green.
- Branchlets are prickly when rubbed down from the tip.