Observable Characteristics of Red Cedar Trees

Form and Size

• When young, an eastern red cedar has a cone shape, but this becomes more open as the tree advances in age. The compact crown becomes irregular as the tree gets older. Red cedar trees grow between 40 and 50 feet high, with widths of between 8 and 15 feet. The trunk diameters typically are in the range of 1 to 2 feet. In many instances, the trunk has a buttressed base and often grows at a slight angle coming out of the ground.

Red Cedar Foliage

• The foliage of eastern red cedar is evergreen, developing on branchlets with a rounded or four-sided appearance. The foliage is scalelike in apperance, overlapping on the branchlets, pressed very close to the stems. It is a medium shade of green and possesses the aromatic cedar scent closely associated with this species of tree. In the winter, as weather turns colder, the foliage can take on a bronze cast.

Bark and Fruit

• One of the most attractive features of eastern red cedar is its bark. Besides smelling good, as does the wood of the tree, the brownish-red bark shreds in long strips from the trunk and larger branches. While some red cedars are either male or female, others possess both sexes of flowers. These trees, as well as the female ones, generate waxy-blue, fleshy cones that resembles a berry. It is as wide as 3/8 inch, soft and attracts wild birds. Inside these cones are one or two small seeds.

Cultivar Characteristics

• Red cedar cultivars differ in many cases from their parent species. Burkii grows to 20 feet, is pyramidal and features blue-green foliage that turns purplish in winter. Emerald Sentinel is narrow and columnar, growing 20 feet tall but only 8 feet in diameter, with dark green foliage that retains its hue in winter. Plenty of blue cones are a feature on the drooping branches of Pendula, a form growing to 40 feet. Grey Owl is a wide-spreading red cedar shrub cultivar. It is just 18 inches high.