Ohio Trees

Bulletin 700-00

Juniperus – Juniper

Junipers are evergreen trees or shrubs with thin, shreddy bark. Leaves are borne opposite or sometimes ternate (in threes). Leaves are short and are needle-shaped, awl-shaped or scalelike. Flowers are dioecious (male and female flowers on different plants) or monoecious (male and female flowers borne on the same plant). Flowers may be borne in the leaf axis or at the terminal end of the branch. Fruit is a cone with the fleshy scales uniting to form a berrylike structure.

Key to Juniperus Species

1. Leaves are sharp and harsh to the touch, especially on the main branches or older twigs. Leaves on mature plants are usually scalelike. Juvenile plants may have needlelike foliage (usually in threes), scalelike, or both. Scalelike leaves are acute or acuminate and free at the apex. Needlelike leaves most often have two white, often blended, bands on the upper surface. Bark commonly begins to shred into long strips, especially on older specimens. A typical tree is from 50—100 feet tall with red, fragrant heartwood and upright, somewhat spreading branches forming a pyramidal head. Fruit is berrylike and consists of two to 65 scales which become fleshy and unite in a berrylike structure. Fruit color is bluish or brownish-violet with a waxy bloom. Many ornamental species and varieties are found in the nursery trade.

   Juniperus virginiana–Eastern Redcedar

Description of Species

Eastern Redcedar–Juniperus virginiana

Redcedar is a very valuable tree found in all classes and conditions of soils, from swamp to dry and rich to poor. It is particularly common on poor, rocky soils where few other trees are found. It is scattered throughout the state, except in the north and northeastern portions. It is abundant on the limestone soils of southwestern Ohio, especially in Adams and Highland counties and in the western part of Pike County. This tree reaches heights of 50—100 feet with upright, somewhat spreading branches that form a pyramidal head.

Eastern Redcedar

There are two types of leaves; both are usually found on the same tree. The more typical leaf is adult foliage and is dark green, minute, and scalelike, clasping the stem in four-ranks giving the stem a square appearance. The other type of leaf usually appears on young growth or vigorous shoots and is awl-shaped. The juvenile leaves are quite sharp, pointed, spreading, and whitened. Needlelike leaves most often have two white, often blended bands on the upper surface of the foliage.

Eastern Redcedar

The flowers are dioecious and borne at the end of minute twigs on separate trees. Flowers may be borne in the leaf axis or at the terminal of the branch. Blooming in February or March, the male trees often assume a golden color from the small catkins, which when shaken shed clouds of yellow pollen. The 1/4-inch-diameter (6 mm) fruit matures in one season and is pale blue, often with a white bloom. The berrylike fruit encloses one or two seeds in the sweet flesh, a favorite winter food for birds.

The bark is very thin and reddish-brown, peeling off in long, shred-like strips. The trunk is irregular in its growth, giving it a grooved appearance.

The heartwood is distinctly red, and the sapwood is white. The wood is sold as cedar. This color combination makes a very striking effect when finished as cedar chests, closets, and interior woodwork. The wood is aromatic, soft, strong, and of even texture. The wood scents clothing stored in cedar-lined chests. It is very durable in contact with the soil and is in great demand for posts, poles, and rustic work. Many ornamental varieties of Eastern redcedar are found in the nursery trade.