Trees of New York State 105 



PINACEAE 



Juniperus virginiana L. 



Red Cedar, Pencil Cedar 



Habit — At maturity a tree usually 20-50 feet in height with a trunk 

 diameter of 1-2 feet, under optimum conditions sometimes attaining a 

 height of 100 feet. Cro-\vn narrowly pyramidal, compact, deep, consist- 

 ing of short, slender branches, horizontal below but ascending above, in 

 the open often extending to the ground. In old age, the crown usually 

 becomes broad and round-topped and more or less irregular. 



Leaves — Opposite, often glaucous, persisting 3-6 years. On normal shoots 

 they are scale-like, 4-ranked, closely imbricated, ovate, acute (rarely 

 obtuse), usually glandular on the back, dark bluish green, about 1/16 

 of an inch long; on vigorous shoots they are linear-lanceolate, long- 

 pointed, without glands, light yellowish green, ^4-% of an inch long. The 

 first type largely predominates. 



Flowers — Appearing from February to May, dioecious (rarely monoecious), 

 borne in cones. Staminate cones numerous, terminal, %-% of an inch 

 long, oblong-ovate, consisting of 10-12 stamens, yellowish at maturity. 

 Ovulate cones solitary, terminal, about 1/16 of an inch long, ovoid, con- 

 sisting of about 6 fleshy, spreading, acute, bluish scales, subtended by 

 scale-like bracts. 



Fruit — A subglobose, pale green, somewhat angled, berry-like cone, ^/4-% 

 of an inch in diameter, becoming dark blue and glaucous in the autumn, 

 with firm epidermis and thin sweet flesh. Cone-scales fleshy, coherent. 

 Seeds 1-2, light chestnut-broT\Ti, lustrous, wingless, 1/16-% of an inch 

 long. 



Winter characters — Branchlets slender, 4-sided, at first green with the 

 appressed leaves, at length round and dark reddish bro^vn. Buds minute, 

 inconspicuous, covered by the appressed, imbricated leaves. Mature bark 

 reddish brown, thin, somewhat grooved, persisting many years, peeling 

 off at length in long, narroAv, fibrous strips. 



Habitat — A gregarious species thriving on a wide variety of sites and soils 

 including abandoned fields, rocky cliffs, limestone outcroppings, swamps, 

 and bottom-lands. Attains its best development on the alluvial soils of 

 the southern states. 



Range — Nova Scotia west through the northern states from New England, 

 New York and Ontario, to the Dakotas, south to Florida and Texas. 

 Widely spread through the agency of birds. Zones A, B, and C. 



Uses — A valuable commercial species. Wood light, soft, fragrant, brittle, 

 extremely durable in contact with the soil, readily worked, dull red A^-ith 

 thin, nearly white sapwood. The most important species in pencil manu- 

 facture. Largely used for moth-proof chests, cabinet-making, interior 

 finish, fence posts, etc. The tree is like^-ise used extensively orna- 

 mentally. 



