American Juniper

The Lakota Native American name is Chansha, redwood or Hante'. In its native range, it is commonly called cedar or red cedar, names rejected by the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature as it is a juniper, not a true cedar. However, Red Cedar is by far the most commonly used name.

Juniperus virginiana is a dense slow-growing tree that may never become more than a bush on poor soil but is ordinarily from 5–20 m/16–66 ft (rarely to 27 m/89 ft) tall, with a short trunk 30–100 cm/12–39 in (rarely 170 cm/67 in) diameter. The oldest tree reported, from Missouri, was 795 years old. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in narrow strips. The leaves are of two types; sharp, spreading needle-like juvenile leaves 5–10 cm (2.0–3. More

Juniperus virginiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting eastern redcedar (opens a new window). More