Ttie Trees of Vermont 53 



PINACEAE 



Ked Cedar 

 Juniperus virginiana L. 



Habit. — A medium-sized tree 30-40 feet high, with a trunk di- 

 ameter of a foot ; forming an irregular, pyramidal or rounded crown. 



Leaves. — Opposite, of two kinds: (1) sessile, scale-like, closely 

 appressed, overlapping, 4-ranked, ovate, acute, %g inch long, (2) 

 sessile, awl-shaped, loosely-arranged, Ya-Yz inch long. Persistent 5-6 

 years. 



Flowers. — May ; usually dioecious ; minute ; the staminate oblong- 

 ovoid, composed of 4-6 shield-like scales, each bearing 4-5 yellow, 

 globose pollen sacs ; the pistillate ovoid, composed of about 3 pairs 

 of fleshy, bluish scales, united at the base and bearing 2 ovules. 



Fruit. — Autumn of first or second season ; subglobose, berry-like 

 strobile, about % inch in diameter, dark blue and glaucous ; flesh sweet 

 and resinous ; seeds 2-3. 



Winter-buds. — Naked, minute. 



Bark. — Twigs greenish to red-brown and smooth; thin, light red- 

 brown on the trunk, exfoliating lengthwise into long, narrow, per- 

 sistent strips, exposing the smooth, brown inner bark. 



Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, brittle, weak, durable, very 

 fragrant, dull red, with thin, whitish sapwood. 



Distribution. — Common in lower altitudes of western Vermont, 

 less so in the mountain range of southwestern Vermont ; more or less 

 common in the Connecticut valley as far north as Fairlee. 



Habitat. — Dry, rocky hills ; also borders of lakes and streams, 

 peaty swamps. 



Notes. — Three kinds of juniper are found in Vermont, but this 

 one, commonly known as "red cedar," is the only one which has the 

 size and habit of a tree. It somewhat resembles the arbor vitae, from 

 which it may be distinguished at a distance by its less symmetrical 

 form and darker foliage. Closer inspection shows that its scale-like 

 leaves have little tendency to the arrangement in a plane which is char- 

 acteristic of the arbor vitje. The fruit also is distinguishable readily 

 from that of the other cone-bearing trees. It consists of thick, fleshy 

 scales which coalesce to form a structure looking more like a small 

 berry than a cone, green in midsummer, becoming bluish at maturity in 

 the autumn. The leaves of young shoots are longer than those on the 

 older branches, with needle-like points. The heart wood of this tree 

 is soft, red and fragrant, and that obtained from the soulhern states is 

 largely used in the manufactiu-e of pencils. 



