Spermatophytes (seed plants): Gymnosperms (non-flowering plants): Conifers: Cupressales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Juniperus virginiana
FAMILY
Cupressaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Learn more about Eastern Red Cedar from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana
FAMILY
Cupressaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana
INCLUDED WITHIN Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Juniperus virginiana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 018-03-002:
Juniperus virginiana FAMILY Cupressaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sabina virginiana
COMMON NAME:
Eastern Red Cedar
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p18a
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_120
)
JK Marlow jkm0502a_19
February Greenville County SC
Chandler Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230228_1309
February Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Gymnosporangium rusts infect both junipers (esp. red cedar) and woody plants in the rose family, per Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic @ University of Wisconsin-Madison.
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_j_virginiana_2
February
Crown usually dense and conical, widening with age but rarely flattening, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Gill Newberry gn03_j_virginiana_male
March
Pollen cones about 1/8" long, terminal, numerous, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm0403p_23
March Greenville County SC
Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve
Most abundant on circumneutral soils from mafic or calcareous rocks, per Weakley's Flora.
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmjvirginiana_and
March Anderson County SC
)
Gill Newberry gn05_j_virginiana_branch_
May
)
Gill Newberry gn05_j_virginiana_seeds
May
)
JK Marlow jkm160512_002
May Greenville County SC
The durable red wood used for posts, railroad ties, cedar chests and pencils, per Trees Worth Knowing (Rogers, 1924).
)
Sam Pratt sbp_1698
May Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
The cedar phase of the Apple Cedar Rust parasite, Gymnosporangium spp., in May.
)
JK Marlow s060617_j
June Greenville County SC
Leaves on juvenile shoots sharply tipped and subulate, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_juniperus_virginiana
July
Bark is shreddy, fibrous, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm131020_943
October Spartanburg County SC
Over-winter phase of Apple Cedar Rust parasite, Gymnosporangium spp., in October
)
Gill Newberry gn11_j_v_female_old
November
)
Gill Newberry gn11_jv_bark_2
November
)
JK Marlow jkm151227_055
December Pickens County SC
Leaves appressed and scalelike (acicular) on mature twigs, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm151227_866
December Pickens County SC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmjvirginiana_farb
Month Unknown Lancaster County SC
Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve
Mature seed cones ~ 1/4", berry-like, greenish-blue with whitish coating, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
COMPARE
conifers (not including Pines)
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Juniperus virginiana
FAMILY
Cupressaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana
FAMILY
Cupressaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana
INCLUDED WITHIN
Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Juniperus virginiana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 018-03-002:
Juniperus virginiana
FAMILY
Cupressaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sabina virginiana
777
Tree
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Bluffs, glades, upland forests and woodlands, pastures, old fields, roadsides, and fencerows, primarily upland, occurring most abundantly on (but by no means restricted to) circumneutral soils (including shrink-swell clays) derived from mafic or calcareous rocks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaves spine-tipped on juvenile wood
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Leaves of mature shoots scale-like, paired; those of juvenile shoots whorled
"FLOWER":
Winter/Spring
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Fall
Bluish-black
Berry-like cone
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p036
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p295
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p499
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p234
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p133
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p028
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p121
- Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000) p87
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p091
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p044
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p03
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p241
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p182
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".