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| ## eastern redcedar {#eastern-redcedar .Title-Header}                 |
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| *Juniperus virginiana* L.                                             |
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| Plant Symbol = JUVI                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus
virginiana)](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.072834645669291in"
height="3.1in"}**Uses**

*Windbreaks*: Plant eastern redcedar in the outer rows of multi-row
plantings where it will not be overtopped by taller trees. It can be
used in single-row windbreaks when a dense, medium height barrier is
desired.

*Wildlife*: This species provides food and cover for numerous birds and
mammals. Winter food and protection is particularly important for
pheasant, mule deer and whitetail deer.

*Recreation and Beautification*: It is suitable for screen plantings.
Its year-long coloration and attractiveness to wildlife adds variety to
recreational plantings.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Juniperus virginiana* L., eastern redcedar, is a small evergreen tree,
commonly 10 to 40 feet, of pyramidal shape becoming rounder in age.
Fruits pale-blue with whitish bloom, fleshy 'berries' (cones), 1/4 inch
diameter, ripening the first season, seeds 1 to 2 in each cone,
bony-coated; flowers small, cone-like on end of short twigs, male and
female borne on separate plants. Leaves opposite, scalelike, covering
older twigs closely in alternating pairs to 1/8 inch long, on new shoots
awl shaped, sharp pointed and spreading, 1/4 inch long, dark green. Stem
single with upright or spreading branches, bark reddish-brown, thin and
shreddy, branchlets very slender; roots deep, widely spreading.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

It is native to eastern North America, where it occurs strongly on
limestone derived soils. and is cultivated in Wyoming and Colorado for
shelterbelts and ornamental uses below 6,000 feet. This species has a
wide distribution and is found on many types of soil ranging from acid
sands to those derived from limestone. It does best on dry soils in full
sunlight, and is winter hardy and tolerant of droughty and salty soils.
Like most junipers, it is very slow growing and is moderately long
lived.

Eastern redcedar is distributed throughout the east , and lower and
upper midwest. For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Seedlings should be planted in a firm weed free bed at a spacing of 3 to
6 feet. Seedlings should be placed in a hole or furrow large enough to
contain the entire root system without bending.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Weed and other competing vegetation must be controlled the first two
years of establishment. This plant will survive in moist, deep loam to
sand at pH of 6.0 to 8.0, will tolerate alkaline and saline conditions.
This plant is invasive in poorly managed or extensively grazed pastures
and rangelands, especially those with neutral pH soils.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

It is relatively free of serious insect and disease problems. It is the
alternate host for the cedar-apple rust disease which does very little
harm to this species but causes serious damage to apples and other pome
fruits.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

Eastern redcedar seedlings are available from most commercial nurseries
and government nurseries dealing with conservation species. 'Canaert'
and 'Taylor' are two cultivars.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060801 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060801-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*