Eastern Red Cedar is an evergreen conifer that grows 40 to 80 feet in height with a trunk up to feet in diameter. This aromatic tree often has a symmetrical, pyramidal shape and has thin, fibrous, reddish-brown bark. The trunk is noticeably tapered, often becoming fluted at the base. Fragrant, scale-like foliage can be coarse or fine-cut, and varies in color from gray-green to blue-green to light- or dark-green. All colors tend to brown in winter. Pale blue fruits occur on female plants.
The most widely distributed eastern conifer, native in 37 states, Eastern Red Cedar is resistant to extremes of drought, heat, and cold. First observed at Roanoke Island, Virginia, in 1564, it was prized by the colonists for building furniture, rail fences, and log cabins.
