Brush - Range & Pasture - Ashe Juniper (Cedar)
BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE
Ashe Juniper (Cedar)
Ashe Juniper, Blueberry Juniper, Blueberry Cedar
Juniperus ashei
Plant Type
Evergreen shrub or tree; cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Life Cycle
Perennial; native
Leaf Habit
Evergreen
Typical Height
Rarely over 30 ft (Texas A&M)
Photo Gallery
How to Identify It
Quick ID
Foliage
- Slender, sharp-pointed leaves, each with a gland on the back
- Seedlings to 2 years old have needle-like leaves (Texas A&M)
Berries
- Light to dark blue berries on female trees (Texas A&M)
Bark & Trunk
- Thin bark that shreds easily, dark brown or gray
- Straight limbs off the main trunk (Texas A&M)
Pollen
- Male trees turn golden in winter from pollen (Texas A&M)
Look-Alikes
Redberry Juniper
- Redberry has red fruit, no central stem, and resprouts from a basal knob; Ashe juniper has blue berries and dies when cut at ground level (Texas A&M, Brush Busters)
Eastern Redcedar
- How to tell it apart from Ashe juniper: [PLACEHOLDER]
Counter script: "If it is a blue-berried cedar with shreddy bark that does not resprout when cut at the ground, it is most likely Ashe juniper."
Where It Grows
Texas
- Mostly Central Texas on the Edwards Plateau (Texas A&M)
- More common in Central and South-Central Texas (Brush Busters)
Oklahoma
- [PLACEHOLDER]
New Mexico
- [PLACEHOLDER]
Sites and soils: Mostly on limestone and shallow, rocky soils (Texas A&M).
Best Time to Control
Ashe juniper does not resprout when the top is removed at ground level, so cutting works any time of year (Brush Busters). Small trees are easiest and cheapest to remove.
Ashe juniper is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls Ashe juniper.
Treatment Methods
Mechanical (Top Removal)
- Cut below the lowest green limb, at ground level (Brush Busters)
- No herbicide is needed on Ashe juniper stumps (Brush Busters)
Foliar Spray
- Surmount (Corteva) lists Ashe juniper (Surmount label)
- Mix and timing: follow the label
Individual Plant vs. Broadcast
- Density guidance for this plant: [PLACEHOLDER]
- Follow the label for broadcast use
Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.
Sources: Brush Busters: How to Master Cedar and How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands.
