Junipers are the most widespread conifers in the world, and eastern redcedar, the commonest North American juniper, is called a cedar.
Identifying juniper
Scientific name: Juniperus
How to recognise it
- Foliage of sharp needles, often in whorls of three, or tiny scales pressed to the twig, and sometimes both on the same plant.
- Small, fleshy, berry-like cones, usually blue-black or blue with a waxy bloom.
- Reddish-brown bark that peels in thin strips.
- Forms range from creeping shrubs to trees 20 metres tall.
Common juniper
Common juniper (Juniperus communis) is a shrub or small tree with sharp needles in threes, each with a white stripe on top. Its berries take two or three years to ripen and are used to flavour gin. It grows across the northern hemisphere, including Britain.
Eastern redcedar
Eastern redcedar (J. virginiana) is the commonest juniper of eastern North America. Young trees have sharp needles, and older trees have scale leaves. It is columnar in shape, with reddish aromatic wood, and the wood is used for chests and pencils. Waxwings and other birds eat the berries.
Western junipers
Western North America has several junipers, including Utah juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper and western juniper. They tolerate dry ground and are typical of dry hillsides.
Cautions
Many garden junipers produce berries and foliage that irritate the skin or are poisonous when eaten in quantity. Do not eat any juniper berry unless you have identified it with certainty.