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Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Found in glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone; glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock; forests and woodlands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height
30–40 feet
Spread
10–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 15 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
January to March
Fruiting season
October to November

Recorded in 60 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Catoosa County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Catoosa County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Catoosa County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock

Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 76 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

29CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Juniperus

  • Callophrys gryneusJuniper Hairstreak
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • 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 29
  • Glyphidocera juniperellaJuniper Tip Moth
  • Henricus edwardsianaContrasting Henricus
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Lithophane lemmeriLemmer's Pinion
  • Macaria distribuariaSouthern Chocolate Angle
  • Macaria multilineataMany-Lined Angle
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • 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
  • Periploca laeta
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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 2a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green
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 March” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Green” · 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” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · 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 2a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “30–40 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
  • 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); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “10–20 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources