Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Size: 3, 5 & 7 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max size: 65’ tall x 25’ wide
Average size: 40′ tall x 20′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Clay, Limerock, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
Tolerant of high salt wind and salt spray, and occasional or brief inundation with salty water.

AKA: Red Savin, Pencil Cedar

This evergreen tree is hurricane wind-resistant and produces interesting cones. Female trees will also produce small blue berries that birds love to eat. It can be used as a screen in areas that are wet and salty. It is best planted near the edges of swamps or in areas that are consistently moist but don’t stay wet.

Red Cedar clippings are popular to use in herb bundles or smudging, as the smoke is believed to provide spiritual protection, and it smells nice. Many Indigenous Americans consider junipers sacred; for example, the Cherokee “How the World Was Made”. It is useful for woodwork; prized for cabinets and dressers as the smell helps repel moths. Seminole people in particular made use of cedar: to treat cold symptoms, swollen joints, and various sicknesses (ex. Thunder Sickness, which was characterized by fever, dizziness, headache, diarrhea); decoction used as an emetic for religious ceremonies; branches and eagle tail feathers were used to cleanse the air from recent sickness.