Native Trees of Kentucky 19. 



D. JUNIPERS GENUS JUNIPERUS. 



The Junipers differ in two points from other members of the 

 Pine Family : 



1. The flowers are borne on separate trees. 



2. The fruit is not a true cone, but is composed of small 



fleshy scales, so coalescent in growth that they form 

 a sweet, resinous berry. These berries are about the 

 size of a pea, pale green at first, but later a dark blue 

 covered with a glaucous bloom. 



One native species in Kentucky: 



Red Cedar Junif>cnts virginiana. 



Red Cedar, found everywhere in Kentucky, is of economic 

 importance only in the South-central part of the State. It is a 

 slow-growing, long-lived tree, tolerant of shade, but indifferent 

 to varying conditions of soil and climate. The wood is light, soft, 

 close-grained, red in color and fragrant. Its durability gives it 

 a value for naval construction, for posts and for telegraph poles. 

 It is used in small cabinet work, and is extensively consumed by 

 the lead pencil industry, manufacturers of pencils often maintain- 

 ing their own forests of Red Cedar. Owing to its thin, stringy 

 bark and extensive root system. Red Cedar is easily damaged 

 by fire. It suffers serious injuries from attacks of fungus 

 growths ; one disease, the Cedar Apple, is of some importance. 

 There are three interesting phases of this Cedar Apple : 



1. After spring rains, the fungus appears on the twigs of 

 Cedar as a purplish-brown spongy mass, which later nearly 

 encircles the twigs. When the apple is full grown, from the reg- 

 ular sections of its surface, there protrude orange-colored, tongue- 

 like bodies of tangled threads, each thread ending in a spore. 



2. These spores, scattered by the wind, germinate only when 

 they fall upon the Apple tree, forming yellow patches of rust on 

 leaves and twigs. 



3. This "apple rust" generates spores, which germinate only 

 when they are blown upon the branches of the Cedar. 



A successful Cedar plantation must then avoid the vicinity of 

 the Apple orchard. 



Tree tall, conical, becoming irregular with age. 



Bark separates in long, persistent shreds of a reddish color. 



Leaves two kinds; scale-like on old stems, awl-shaped on 



new stems. 

 Fruit small, fleshy, dark blue berry. 



