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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Berries and needles photographed on August 20 in Warren County, North Carolina. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Berries and needles photographed on August 20 in Warren County, North Carolina. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunCathy DeWitt ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Very durable native screen for dry sun; alternate host for cedar-apple rust.

Sun Exposure
Full sun
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
30–50
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
10–20
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Scale leaves on mature shoots

Identification clue 2

Juvenile shoots may be prickly

Identification clue 3

Blue waxy berry-like seed cones

Read the leaves

Inspect both young and adult foliage: juvenile leaves can be sharp and needle-like, while adult leaves overlap as scales.

More growing details

Read the bark

Reddish-brown bark peels in narrow fibrous strips.

Fruit & seed

Blue berry-like structures on female trees are fleshy cones; they are not true berries.

Winter character

Evergreen scales, shredding bark, and often persistent blue cones remain visible.

Origin & place

The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.

Compare with Arborvitae

Arborvitae has tiny dry woody cones and flatter fan-like sprays, rather than fleshy blue cones.

WNC Notes

Very durable native screen for dry sun; alternate host for cedar-apple rust.

Sun Exposure

Full sun

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

30–50

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

10–20

BLOOM SEASON

Spring

BLOOM COLOR

Inconspicuous

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Evergreen; blue cones

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Low–moderate

Drought Tolerance

High

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Berries and needles photographed on August 20 in Warren County, North Carolina. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Berries and needles photographed on August 20 in Warren County, North Carolina. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sunCathy DeWitt ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Fibrous bark of eastern red cedar — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Fibrous bark of eastern red cedar — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sunplantsforpermaculture ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Berries & Needles - Aug. 20 - Warren Co., NC — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Berries & Needles - Aug. 20 - Warren Co., NC — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sunCathy DeWitt ↗ · CC BY 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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