Eastern Redcedar, Juniperus virginiana L., Native Minnesota Tree, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Red Juniper

(Red Juniper, Savin). This is the most widely distributed eastern conifer. It can commonly grow 10 to 60' in height in a pyramidal shape. Leaves can be of two types. The first are scalelike, no teeth and dark green, about 1/16" long, with a gland dot, and held tightly against the twig in four ranks so that the twig appears square. On newer wood there can also be longer leaves, about 1/4", that are awl like, dark blue-green in color. The bark is reddish-brown, thin, fibrous and shreddy. Most specimens are dioecious, that is, they have only male flowers or female. Male flowers are small, yellow-brown in color and appear in large groups. Female flowers are light blue-green. The fruit is a berry-like cone that is light green in the spring and dark blue later with a whitish "bloom". The 1/4" berries are juicy and contain one or two small seeds and ripen the first season. Winter Interest: The tree maintains it's coloration year round and while the berries are very attractive to wildlife, many will persist through the winter for visual interest. Larger specimens will provide shelter for birds. It small lots it needs to be kept away from gardens as the roots are spreading. On large lots it can make an attractive barrier. Unlike White Cedar, this tree prefers more upland sites with sandy soils.

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Eastern Red Cedar	Juniperus virginiana L.	Cypress (Cupressaceae)	Upland and Woodland	All Season - evergreen
Other names and notes	(Red Juniper, Savin). This is the most widely distributed eastern conifer. It can commonly grow 10 to 60' in height in a pyramidal shape. Leaves can be of two types. The first are scalelike, no teeth and dark green, about 1/16" long, with a gland dot, and held tightly against the twig in four ranks so that the twig appears square. On newer wood there can also be longer leaves, about 1/4", that are awl like, dark blue-green in color. The bark is reddish-brown, thin, fibrous and shreddy. Most specimens are dioecious, that is, they have only male flowers or female. Male flowers are small, yellow-brown in color and appear in large groups. Female flowers are light blue-green. The fruit is a berry-like cone that is light green in the spring and dark blue later with a whitish "bloom". The 1/4" berries are juicy and contain one or two small seeds and ripen the first season. Winter Interest: The tree maintains it's coloration year round and while the berries are very attractive to wildlife, many will persist through the winter for visual interest. Larger specimens will provide shelter for birds. It small lots it needs to be kept away from gardens as the roots are spreading. On large lots it can make an attractive barrier. Unlike White Cedar, this tree prefers more upland sites with sandy soils.



Notes: Eloise Butler planted specimens in the Woodland Garden in May 1909 obtained from the Park Board Nursery, and again in 1911. Martha Crone planted it in 1936 also. Gardener Cary George reported that the ones on the edge of the Upland Prairie are volunteer trees spread when birds eat their berries. They form a needed windbreak on the prairie edges. Eastern Redcedar is native to much of Minnesota from North Central south, except some far SW counties. In North America it is found from the Great Plains eastward in the U.S. and from Ontario eastward in Canada. The wood has had a variety of uses over the years, from fence posts to cabinetwork and cedar oil has been extracted for medicines and perfumes. It is the aromatic wood of cedar chests. One needs to be careful where it is planted as the tree is an alternate host to the cedar-apple rust, a fungus affecting orchards. The species was first found by the colonists on Roanoke Island, Virginia in 1564.
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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.