Eastern Red Cedar

Sun. Evergreen. Eastern Red Cedar is the most widely distributed conifer in the eastern half of the U.S., growing naturally on roadsides, ranches, farms and fields as well as formal landscapes. In the San Antonio area, as soil alkalinity increases, red cedar is replaced by Ashe Juniper, the “mountain cedar” more tolerant of the thin soils in the Texas Hill Country. At first appearance the two species may seem similar, but red cedar more commonly appears as a single-trunked and taller specimen.

There are a variety of commercial cultivars available, but due to the stigma of the name “cedar” in the San Antonio area, Eastern Red Cedar is not a common sight in local nurseries or landscapes (even in deeper soils where it might be expected to perform well.)