Brush - Range & Pasture - Eastern Redcedar

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Eastern Redcedar

Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Perennial Evergreen Brush

Plant Type

Evergreen tree; cypress family (Cupressaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

Evergreen

Typical Height

Generally 18 to 26 ft; mature trees 40 to 50 ft (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Eastern redcedar with a dense, narrow, columnar shape in an old field — **Whole Tree** Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Eastern redcedar scale foliage loaded with waxy blue berries — **Scale Foliage and Blue Fruit** Photo: Humoyun Mehridinov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Shape

Often shaped like a Christmas tree (Texas A&M)

Foliage

Scale-like, fragrant; gray-green to dark green (Texas A&M)

Bark

Light reddish brown, peeling in long strips (Texas A&M)

Fruit

Pale blue, berry-like, on female trees; ripens September to December (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Ashe Juniper

How to tell it apart from eastern redcedar: [PLACEHOLDER]

Redberry Juniper

Redberry has red fruit and resprouts from a basal knob (Texas A&M)

Counter script: "If it is a Christmas-tree-shaped cedar with scale leaves, reddish stringy bark, and pale blue berries, it is most likely eastern redcedar."

Where It Grows

Texas

Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Pineywoods, Gulf Prairies and Marshes, Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairies, Edwards Plateau, Rolling Plains, High Plains

Oklahoma

Throughout the state; considered a weed in much of Oklahoma (OSU)

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: All soil types, from rocky hilltops to swamps; prefers deep, moist, well-drained sites. Fence rows, woodland edges, prairies, and pastures (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

Eastern redcedar does not need herbicide on cut stumps, so cutting works any time of year (Brush Busters). The Surmount label does not control plants over 3 ft tall.

Eastern redcedar is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls eastern redcedar.

Treatment Methods

Mechanical (Cutting)

Cut below the lowest green limb (Brush Busters)
No herbicide is needed on eastern redcedar stumps (Brush Busters)

Foliar Spray

Surmount (Corteva) lists eastern redcedar, but plants over 3 ft are not controlled (Surmount label)
Mix: 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 Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands; Oklahoma State University Extension.