Eastern Redcedar vs Northern White-Cedar

These two species are often confused by people inexperienced in identifying plants of the Cupressoideae subfamily. They are easily distinguished by fruit, bark, and characteristics of the needles or scales. Where their ranges overlap, both tend to be found on calcium-rich substrates, but redcedar occupies drier, sunnier, nutrient-poor, and more early-succession habitats, whereas white-cedar is found on richer, wetter, shadier sites.

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) A native evergreen conifer of sunny habitats; unlike most conifers, tends to decrease soil acidity.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) A slow-growing, medium-sized coniferous tree of the northeast, found on moist sites and those with neutral to alkaline pH.
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Young plants have sharp-pointed needles. Photo © Katja Schulz, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) All plants, including seedlings, exclusively have scalelike leaves. Photo © Sarah Johnson, CC BY 4.0.
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Scalelike foliage sparser, less flattened, and branching less frequently but more irregularly. Photo © Judy Gallagher, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Scalelike foliage dense, strongly flattened, and branching frequently and regularly. Photo © Quinten Wiegersma, CC BY 4.0.
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Fleshy, berry-like seed cones turn pale whitish to blue when ripe. Photo © Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Drier seed cones turn brown when ripe. Ripe cones show visible scales which come apart easily. Photo © Rob Foster, CC BY 4.0.
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Bark is thinner, peeling in thin strips. Photo © dvollmar, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Bark is thicker, with broader ridges and furrows. Photo © Wendelyn Bolles, CC BY 4.0.
Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) Foliage often turns reddish brown in winter. Trees often look reddish brown from a distance in winter. Photo © Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0.	Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Foliage ranges from yellowish to dark green; does not turn as reddish brown in winter. Photo © Dan MacNeal, 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.