The Junipers 



51 



which becomes open and irregular as the tree becomes older. The trunk is very 

 irregular in cross-section and tapers rapidly in young trees. 



The bark is reddish-brown, stringy, and separates into shreddy strips. 



The twigs are somewhat four-sided and are covered with minute leaves. 

 They are not arranged in a flat, spreading spray like those of the white cedar 

 {Thuja occidentalis) but have an irregular habit of growth. 



The leaves are dark green, somewhat rusty-brown in winter, and have a char- 

 acteristic odour when crushed. They are of two kinds. On young shoots, es- 

 pecially on young trees, they are as a rule awl-shaped, narrow, and sharp-pointed, J^ 

 to ^ in. long, in pairs and opposite or in threes and standing well out from the twig. 

 The other form, which is more typical for the species and found on the older trees, 

 is a minute scale-like leaf. These leaves are closely pressed to the twig, opposite, 

 and in pairs, and lie overlapping They are sharp- or blunt-pointed and often 

 have a glandular dot on the back which is missing in the other form. 



The fruit is a fleshy, dark blue, bloom-covered berry the size of a pea, which 

 has a peculiar, sweet, resinous taste. These berries are borne in large numbers 

 on vigorous shoots of the female tree and remain on the tree all winter. 



The red juniper, or red cedar as it is commonly called, is used locally in Canada 

 for fence-posts. It seldom reaches sawlog sizes and is used mostly "in the round." 



22510 4J 



