Atlantic White Cedar vs Eastern Redcedar

These two species are easily confused where their ranges overlap, especially on mature trees with scalelike foliage. They can be told apart easily by closely examining their seed cones, and by bark, shape, and foliage color. Although they can occur near each other, they have little habitat overlap by specific site. Redcedar is much more common and widely adaptable, and prefers drier sites. Atlantic white cedar is limited to acidic wetlands. Both are occasional in landscaping.

Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) An evergreen conifer native to acidic, sandy wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) A native evergreen conifer of sunny habitats; unlike most conifers, tends to decrease soil acidity.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Unripe seed cones are larger and have more pointed scales, looking lumpy or pointy. Photo © Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Public Domain.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Unripe seed cones are smaller and smoother, looking more shaped like a simple sphere. Photo © Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Ripe seed cones turn brown and open, releasing wind-dispersed seeds when ripe. Photo © botanygirl, CC BY 4.0.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Berry-like seed cones turn blue when ripe, and usually remain on tree until eaten by birds. Photo © Drew Sauve, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Bark is thicker, with wider ridges that often (not always) spiral slightly around the trunk. Trunk is less likely to be fluted. Photo © C. Ben Schwamb, CC BY 4.0.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Bark is thinner, peeling in narrow, vertical strips. Trunk is more likely to be fluted (some sections bulging out more than others.) Photo © dvollmar, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) All except the youngest plants have scale-like foliage. Photo © Kevin Keegan, Public Domain.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Plants retain sharp, needle-like foliage to an older age. Needles are arranged in whorls of three around the stem; plants only develop scale-like foliage when mature. Photo © Katja Schulz, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Branches are more uniformly horizontal, not usually ascending or drooping much. Photo © Lauren McLaurin, CC BY 4.0.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Trees may have horizontal branches, but strongly ascending branches are common, and sometimes drooping branches are also present. Photo © Gaudaceous Cress, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Foliage usually looks pure green to slightly bluish, and does not usually have a reddish or bronze color, even in winter. Photo © Abby Darrah, CC BY 4.0.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Foliage may look bluish during the growing season, but often has a reddish or bronze color in winter. Photo © Andrew Conboy, CC BY 4.0.
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) Strictly limited to wetlands with acidic, usually sandy soils. Photo © Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0.	Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Found in a wider range of habitats, but more often on dry ground and only occasionally on wetlands. Photo © Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0.

References & External Resources

These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.