CautionEdible
Eastern redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Scale-leaved evergreen of old pastures. Blue ‘berries’ season gin and stew; mothproof chests.
- Marks
- Evergreen scales; blue cones; shreddy red bark
- Size
- 20–40 ft
- Habitat
- Worn-out fields, glades, fencerows. Very common on Dearborn limestone.
- Season
- Year-round; cones in fall–winter.
- Frequency
- abundant
A juniper, not a true cedar. Young leaves are prickly; older sprays are scaly. Bark is fibrous and reddish. Female trees hold blue-waxy cones.
Uses
A few crushed cones in meat brine. Posts that last in the ground. Kindling from the bark. Cedar-apple rust needs this tree plus apples.