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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. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

57
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

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 18 West Virginia 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 in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County
Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), 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.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

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 West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 151 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Juniperus

  • Callophrys gryneusJuniper Hairstreak
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Callophrys niphonPine Elfin
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • Crambidia castaPearly-Winged Lichen Moth
  • Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
  • Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Show all 26
  • Glena plumosariaCedar Grey, Dainty Gray
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Lithophane lemmeriLemmer's Pinion
  • Macaria distribuariaSouthern Chocolate Angle
  • Macaria multilineataMany-Lined Angle
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
  • Patalene olyzonariaJuniper Geometer
  • Periploca nigraJuniper Twig Girder
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • 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

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources