Southern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola
Found in maritime forests and thickets; Coastal Plain hammocks; salt and brackish marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you
58
Strong
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- About 65 feet
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to wet
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Bloom
- January to February
- Fruiting season
- October to November
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread
Recorded in 12 Alabama counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 3
Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.
Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.
Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 116 animals.
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceus
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Mottled DuckAnas fulvigula
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Northern FlickerColaptes auratus
- Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Pine SiskinCarduelis pinus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
30CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Juniperus
- Callophrys gryneusJuniper Hairstreak
- Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
- Callophrys augustinusThe Brown Elfin
- Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
- Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
- Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
- Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Glena plumosariaCedar Grey, Dainty Gray
Show all 30
- Glyphidocera juniperellaJuniper Tip Moth
- Henricus edwardsianaContrasting Henricus
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
- Lithophane lemmeriLemmer's Pinion
- Macaria distribuariaSouthern Chocolate Angle
- Macaria multilineataMany-Lined Angle
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
- Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
- Patalene olyzonariaJuniper Geometer
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Coleotechnites obliquistrigella
- Isophrictis similiella
- Periploca laeta
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
23BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Juniperus
- Bombycilla cedrorumCedar Waxwing
- Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
- Cathartes/coragyps spTurkey/Black Vulture
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
- Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
- Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
- Cyanocitta stelleriSteller's Jay
- Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
- Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Show all 23
- Empidonax alnorum/trailliiAlder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)
- Empidonax flaviventrisYellow-bellied Flycatcher
- Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
- Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
- Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
- Mimus polyglottosNorthern Mockingbird
- Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
- Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
- Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
- Tachycineta bicolorTree Swallow
- Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
- Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Cupressaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 7a–11b
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Growth habit
- Single stem
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- October
- Fruit ends
- November
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “January to February” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Yellow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 7a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “About 65 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5T4T5 [G4G5] |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
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Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications