The Cedar That Isn't

Juniper 'berries' (Juniperus virginiana)

A beautiful and useful evergreen tree grows well around the state. It is appreciated by some humans for its evergreen foliage (it has been used as Christmas trees) and is much loved by birds and wildlife for the fruits and shelter it provides. However, it is called by a name that is misleading: Eastern redcedar. Although it is a conifer like true cedars (Cedrus spp.), it is actually a juniper, and the fruits that the birds love are modified cones.

Juniperus virginiana is native throughout the eastern and middle US and is found in most areas of Georgia except for the Cumberland Plateau in the NW corner – and it may have spread there by now. Birds help distribute it, much to the dismay of some farmers who find themselves having to remove it from fields. You can see it on the edges of fields where birds sat on the fence and deposited the seeds (and farmers didn’t see any need to remove it from there).

Male pollen cones developing

Female trees have fruits

This time of year highlights the dioecious nature of this genus. Junipers have male and female flowers on separate plants. Trees that are mature enough show the differences: female trees are sporting the fleshy berries and male trees are developing pollen cones on the tips of the branches. The pollen cones are fairly dark brown at first, lightening up as they expand. The male trees take on a brownish or bronze color from a distance as a result of this cone development.

As you can see from the placement of the berries, the female flowers are not on the tips of the branches – they are located a bit more inside. The trees I have examined so far this year are not yet showing the female flowers. For a bit longer, the berries will take center stage on the females.

I have not been lucky enough to see a flock of cedar waxwings descend on a juniper. On the Georgia Wildlife Facebook group, one member had fun a couple weeks ago photographing the birds in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. He agreed to let me share one of his pictures here.

Habit is tall and dense

Cedar waxing (Photo: Kevin Gaston)

So why is this tree called a cedar? One theory is that the aromatic character of the wood, similar to true cedars (Cedrus), led people to think they were more closely related. The heavy wet snow in December caused the top to break out of my largest one. Here you can see the reddish center, and yes, it was very aromatic.

Common name is 'redcedar'

Trees can get big, up to 65 feet

Not everyone wants to keep this tree around. It is one of the host plants for the cedar-apple/cedar-hawthorn rust diseases. Small brown galls form (I picked off several this week) and then develop into an orange ball that releases spores. Plants in the Rosaceae family such as serviceberries (Amelanchier), hawthorns (Crataegus), and apples/crabapples (Malus) can be infected by the rust, developing discolored foliage and fruit but not hurting the tree itself.

Gall - first year, just developing

Mature gall with spores releasing

One good reason to keep it around – besides the benefits to birds – is that it is a host plant for the Juniper hairstreak butterfly. I keep hoping to find the butterfly one day. The caterpillar is pretty small; I might have them and just haven’t noticed yet. I hope you’ll take the time to notice this tree over the next few weeks and appreciate its role in our local ecosystem.