Juniperus virginiana seeds

Juniperus virginiana seeds

 

Juniperus virginiana is a huge pointed conifer whose branch grows to a typical length of about 35 to 55m tall. It belongs to the family Cupressaceae and genus Juniperus. Its synonyms include Sabina silicicola Small, and Juniperus silicicola (Small). The plant is also referred by common names such as Eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, pencil cedar, eastern juniper, red juniper and aromatic cedar. Juniperus virginiana is among the rare trees that grow in damaged and eroded land. Juniperus virginiana is native to eastern North America and is among the pioneer types that have a long life of over 900 years.

Juniperus virginiana gives cover in winter. It has leaves that are always green and gives a wide overlap upon maturity of the plant. The flora of this plant is often shady blue-green and may turn to brown-green during winter. This type of plant is resistant to rot and is not affected by the saltiness. For these reasons, Juniperus virginiana plant can be grown in areas that are well drained, and dry moist soil with full sun. This plant has good resistance to drought compared to any native conifer. The plant can moderately withstand the damages by deer as well.

Juniperus virginiana is a dioecious type of plant which means that the plants need each other, that is male and female to be able to reproduce. On reproduction, the female plant always produces grey and round cones that are similar to berry.

Eastern red cedar is mostly used by the gardeners to make fence posts due to its nature to resist rot. The tree is also easy to plant, dependent and tough. However, Juniperus virginiana is as well considered weedy by the gardeners. Also, the fruits of this plant are eaten by the song birds and small mammals. The berry cone of this plant has been used as a substitute for tea and coffee upon roasting. Furthermore, the plant is used in making furniture, Christmas trees and cedar oil among many more. The back of this plant is used to start the fire because it is soft.

Traditionally, the tree has been used for medicinal purposes to cure several problems like rashes. The Spanish used a boiled mixture of water and bark of the tree to treat rashes. The mixture of the tree’s twigs, leaves and nuts is boiled and then inhaled to treat bronchitis. Aside from this, the plant is also said to be able to cure dropsy, diuretic and arthritis. The plant is however vulnerable to damage by some few insects like bagworms that eats its foliage. The fleshy parts of the cone and the leaves are reported to be poisonous and should not be eaten.