Agencies
Services
For Your Garden - December 2008
red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Illinois Status: common, native
Red cedar is a medium-sized tree with red-brown bark that splits into long shreds. Two types of leaves are present: tiny flat, triangular leaves that are arranged opposite each other on the stem; and needlelike leaves that may be up to three-fourths inch long. Leaf color varies and may be blue-green, green or yellow-green. Male and female flowers develop on separate trees. The flowers are tiny. The spherical fruit developing from the flowers is dark blue with a white covering, berrylike and contains one or two seeds. Well-drained soil is the preferred habitat for this tree. The densely packed branches and evergreen leaves provide good roosting spots for birds in the winter. Berries are an excellent wildlife food source, too.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Coniferophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae
Habitats
Woodland Habitats
upland deciduous forests
Native Plant Information
For more information about Illinois native plants, visit our Native Habitat Descriptions, Requirements, and Plant Lists page. The following publications are available from the IDNR on our publications page.
