Junipers are everywhere: groundcovers on slopes, columns by front doors, hedges and the familiar eastern red-cedar in old fields and fencerows. They are easy to confuse with arborvitae, cypress and other evergreens at first glance. A close look at the foliage, cones and bark usually settles it.
The short answer: a juniper has either tiny, overlapping scale-like leaves, sharp awl-shaped needles, or both on the same plant, plus small, blue, berry-like cones on female plants. The bark is thin and peels in long, fibrous strips. Arborvitae has flat sprays of foliage and small woody cones instead of berries; true cypresses have small round woody cones.
Key features
Foliage
Junipers have two types of foliage:
- Scale-like leaves: tiny, overlapping scales that hug the twig. The Virginia Tech dendrology fact sheet describes those of eastern red-cedar as about 1/16 inch long and four-sided.
- Awl-shaped (needle-like) leaves: longer, about 1/4 inch on eastern red-cedar, pointed and prickly. These are common on young plants and fast-growing shoots.
Many junipers carry both types at once. Some cultivars, especially groundcover types, keep mostly the prickly juvenile foliage. Clemson Extension notes the contrast between soft adult scale-like foliage and prickly juvenile needles on the same Chinese juniper.
Berries (actually cones)
The “berries” are really fleshy cones. Most junipers are dioecious, meaning male and female plants are separate. Virginia Tech describes eastern red-cedar’s female cones as about 1/4 inch across, light green in spring and maturing to dark blue with a whitish, waxy coating in fall. Male plants produce small yellow-brown pollen cones in late winter and early spring. A juniper with no berries may simply be male.
Bark
Juniper bark is thin, reddish brown to gray, and peels in long, fibrous strips. On older eastern red-cedars it often looks shredded and ashy gray where it is exposed.
Form
Junipers range from flat groundcovers a few inches tall to columns and trees. Clemson Extension notes that large juniper trees can reach up to 60 feet tall. Eastern red-cedar is usually a dense oval to columnar tree.
Juniper or look-alike?
| Feature | Juniper | Arborvitae | Cypress / false cypress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foliage | Scales, prickly needles or both, often in round twigs | Flat, fan-like sprays of scales | Flattened or thread-like sprays |
| Cones | Blue, berry-like, fleshy | Small, upright, woody, about 1/2 inch | Small, round, woody |
| Feel | Often prickly | Soft | Soft to slightly rough |
| Crushed foliage smell | Resinous, sharp | Sweet, fruity | Mild |
Common junipers in home landscapes
| Juniper | Typical form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) | Columnar to oval tree, 40 to 50 ft | Native to eastern North America; host of cedar-apple rust |
| Chinese juniper (J. chinensis) | Shrubs to upright trees | Hundreds of cultivars, such as Spartan and Hetz |
| Rocky Mountain juniper (J. scopulorum) | Upright tree or shrub | Blue-gray foliage; prefers dry climates |
| Creeping juniper (J. horizontalis) | Low groundcover | Used on slopes and banks |
| Common juniper (J. communis) | Low, spreading shrub | All needle-like foliage in whorls of three |
| Shore juniper (J. conferta) | Low groundcover | Tolerates sandy, salty sites |
Measurements are from the Morton Arboretum for eastern red-cedar; cultivar sizes vary widely.
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Clues through the seasons
The time of year can help with identification:
- Late winter and early spring: male junipers release clouds of yellow pollen from small cones at the branch tips.
- Spring: orange, jelly-like horns can appear on brown galls on eastern red-cedar after rain. These are cedar-apple rust, a sure sign you are looking at a juniper host.
- Fall: the blue, waxy berry-like cones are easiest to see on female plants.
- Winter: eastern red-cedar and some groundcover junipers turn bronze, brownish or purplish green in cold weather and green up again in spring. This is normal and not a sign of disease.
Birds eat juniper cones over the winter and spread the seeds, which is why eastern red-cedars pop up along fences and in old fields.
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Is eastern red-cedar a cedar?
No. Despite the name, eastern red-cedar is a juniper. True cedars (Cedrus) have needles in clusters and large upright cones. Many sources write it as “red-cedar” with a hyphen to show it is not a true cedar.
Why identification matters
Knowing your juniper helps with:
- Pruning: junipers do not regrow from bare wood. See when to prune junipers.
- Rust diseases: junipers host cedar-apple and pear rusts that also affect apples, crabapples and pears. Read how to treat rust on pear trees.
- Size: cultivars range from inches to 50 feet. See how tall junipers get.
- Browning: different junipers are prone to different blights. See why junipers turn brown.
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Still unsure?
Take a photo of a branch tip up close, any cones and the bark, and bring a sample to your county extension office or a local nursery. If your plant has tiny scales in flat sprays and woody cones, you likely have an arborvitae or false cypress instead.
Sources
- Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), Virginia Tech Dendrology
- Eastern Red-cedar, The Morton Arboretum
- Juniper, Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
Top photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons