Family: Cupressaceae
eastern red-cedar
Robert R. Kowal
Matthew L. Wagner
Bell Museum
Etymology: Juniperus: Latin name for juniper
Plants: prostrate, mat perennial, evergreen shrub
Leaves: mostly scales, some needles in whorls of 3
Fruits: blueish, up to 3/8" diameter berry
Habitat: dry; in sandy soil
Usually a plant of open habitats such as blufftops and rocky ridges, cliffs, rock outcrops (open or thinly wooded), dry prairies, roadsides and roadcuts, old quarries, gravel pits, mine waste piles, sandy and rocky waste areas, fields, hillsides, pastures, sand barrens, alvars, open areas of the Niagara Escarpment, oak barrens, talus slopes, dry sandy river outwash plains, and cedar glades. Also found in dry forests of sugar maple-basswood-red oak, oak-basswood-pine, pine-oak, hemlock-sugar maple-paper birch, jack pine-black oak-red maple.
This species has certainly become more common since pre-settlement times when fire restricted plants to high cliffs and blufftops. Since the suppression of fire, red cedar has readily invaded open dry areas, especially dry prairies, and led to succession in these habitats. In the Driftless Area, high ridgetops with scattered, large, old oaks and understories of thick red cedar and oak saplings are a common sight and are a good example of this landscape change. The cedar glades of Curtis (1959) are different from the cedar glades of the southeastern United States. The former are better called cedar thickets and are probably the result of fire suppression rather than a unique community. Open patches within the thickets often still support dry prairie species, attesting to their past status. These habitats are restricted to rocky bluffs, cliffs, and areas along major rivers where natural firebreaks existed. Eastern red cedar occurs mostly south of the Tension Zone and seems under-collected in some counties; it is native in a few areas to the north, such as the alvars of Brown Co. Wisconsin’s oldest known tree is an eastern red cedar, growing on the Niagara Escarpment, that is over 1,300 years old.
Plants: prostrate, mat perennial, evergreen shrub
Leaves: mostly scales, some needles in whorls of 3
Fruits: blueish, up to 3/8" diameter berry
Habitat: dry; in sandy soil
Usually a plant of open habitats such as blufftops and rocky ridges, cliffs, rock outcrops (open or thinly wooded), dry prairies, roadsides and roadcuts, old quarries, gravel pits, mine waste piles, sandy and rocky waste areas, fields, hillsides, pastures, sand barrens, alvars, open areas of the Niagara Escarpment, oak barrens, talus slopes, dry sandy river outwash plains, and cedar glades. Also found in dry forests of sugar maple-basswood-red oak, oak-basswood-pine, pine-oak, hemlock-sugar maple-paper birch, jack pine-black oak-red maple.
This species has certainly become more common since pre-settlement times when fire restricted plants to high cliffs and blufftops. Since the suppression of fire, red cedar has readily invaded open dry areas, especially dry prairies, and led to succession in these habitats. In the Driftless Area, high ridgetops with scattered, large, old oaks and understories of thick red cedar and oak saplings are a common sight and are a good example of this landscape change. The cedar glades of Curtis (1959) are different from the cedar glades of the southeastern United States. The former are better called cedar thickets and are probably the result of fire suppression rather than a unique community. Open patches within the thickets often still support dry prairie species, attesting to their past status. These habitats are restricted to rocky bluffs, cliffs, and areas along major rivers where natural firebreaks existed. Eastern red cedar occurs mostly south of the Tension Zone and seems under-collected in some counties; it is native in a few areas to the north, such as the alvars of Brown Co. Wisconsin’s oldest known tree is an eastern red cedar, growing on the Niagara Escarpment, that is over 1,300 years old.
Usually a plant of open habitats such as blufftops and rocky ridges, cliffs, rock outcrops (open or thinly wooded), dry prairies, roadsides and roadcuts, old quarries, gravel pits, mine waste piles, sandy and rocky waste areas, fields, hillsides, pastures, sand barrens, alvars, open areas of the Niagara Escarpment, oak barrens, talus slopes, dry sandy river outwash plains, and cedar glades. Also found in dry forests of sugar maple-basswood-red oak, oak-basswood-pine, pine-oak, hemlock-sugar maple-paper birch, jack pine-black oak-red maple.
This species has certainly become more common since pre-settlement times when fire restricted plants to high cliffs and blufftops. Since the suppression of fire, red cedar has readily invaded open dry areas, especially dry prairies, and led to succession in these habitats. In the Driftless Area, high ridgetops with scattered, large, old oaks and understories of thick red cedar and oak saplings are a common sight and are a good example of this landscape change. The cedar glades of Curtis (1959) are different from the cedar glades of the southeastern United States. The former are better called cedar thickets and are probably the result of fire suppression rather than a unique community. Open patches within the thickets often still support dry prairie species, attesting to their past status. These habitats are restricted to rocky bluffs, cliffs, and areas along major rivers where natural firebreaks existed. Eastern red cedar occurs mostly south of the Tension Zone and seems under-collected in some counties; it is native in a few areas to the north, such as the alvars of Brown Co. Wisconsin’s oldest known tree is an eastern red cedar, growing on the Niagara Escarpment, that is over 1,300 years old.
This species has certainly become more common since pre-settlement times when fire restricted plants to high cliffs and blufftops. Since the suppression of fire, red cedar has readily invaded open dry areas, especially dry prairies, and led to succession in these habitats. In the Driftless Area, high ridgetops with scattered, large, old oaks and understories of thick red cedar and oak saplings are a common sight and are a good example of this landscape change. The cedar glades of Curtis (1959) are different from the cedar glades of the southeastern United States. The former are better called cedar thickets and are probably the result of fire suppression rather than a unique community. Open patches within the thickets often still support dry prairie species, attesting to their past status. These habitats are restricted to rocky bluffs, cliffs, and areas along major rivers where natural firebreaks existed. Eastern red cedar occurs mostly south of the Tension Zone and seems under-collected in some counties; it is native in a few areas to the north, such as the alvars of Brown Co. Wisconsin’s oldest known tree is an eastern red cedar, growing on the Niagara Escarpment, that is over 1,300 years old.
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 9, Wetland Indicator = FAC- USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources: Rare Species Guide; description, conservation, photos, maps, etc. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay: Gymnosperms: Photos, descriptions, information USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Virginia Tech Dept. of Forestry, College of Natural Resources: detailed description and photographs Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest; UW-Extension: Interactive guide providing information on cultivation including: soil, zone, growth rate, landscape uses, pruning, light requirements; with photos and Latin name pronounciation
Matthew L. Wagner
Robert W. Freckmann
Robert W. Freckmann
Darrin Kimbler
Darrin Kimbler
Paul Drobot
Paul Drobot
Paul Drobot
Robert W. Freckmann
John M. Schoeneker
Emmet J. Judziewicz
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson
Botanical Illustration
Botanical Illustration
Know Your Trees
Aaron_Carlson
Aaron_Carlson
