Avatar for Everyday
Dec 13, 2016 3:00 PM CST
Thread OP

These little conifers are popping up in my suburban northern Virginia garden (zone 7). They are very prickly. Anyone know what they are? They just appeared this year. There are five of them within a couple feet of each other. There are no similar-looking plants nearby. Is it possible that they're popping up from underground remains of a tree that was removed? I lived in my home for five years without ever seeing anything similar but they appeared not long after my neighbor removed a large tree that shaded my garden.
Thanks for the help!
Thumb of 2016-12-13/Everyday/bf7492
Avatar for porkpal
Dec 13, 2016 3:50 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
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They look a lot like what we call Texas Red Cedar - which is actually a cypress. Was your neighbor's tree just on the other side of that fence?
Avatar for Everyday
Dec 13, 2016 5:31 PM CST
Thread OP

porkpal said:Was your neighbor's tree just on the other side of that fence?

Yep
Avatar for Everyday
Dec 13, 2016 7:49 PM CST
Thread OP

Planted by birds then?
Avatar for XiaoLong
Dec 13, 2016 9:00 PM CST
Name: Feng Xiao Long
Bogor, Java, Indonesia (Zone 13a)
Purslane Tropicals Plant Identifier
i think its come from the root of the big tree. after removing the trunk, some roots still remain and sprouting back. Smiling
Avatar for porkpal
Dec 13, 2016 9:31 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
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I agree with Xiao.
Avatar for Everyday
Dec 14, 2016 12:32 PM CST
Thread OP

Everyone agree that this is red cedar? Looks more like "blue cedar" to me.
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Dec 14, 2016 1:30 PM CST
Name: Carter Mayer
Houston, TX (Zone 9b)
Adeniums Tropicals Plant Identifier
Will cedars sprout from underground roots? I'm not familiar with them, but I think that verification would be a big clue towards ID confirmation. I don't know how common a trait this may or may not be for conifers.
Avatar for porkpal
Dec 14, 2016 3:53 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
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Good question...
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Dec 14, 2016 4:19 PM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
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My understanding is that only a few conifers produce suckers. Is it possible to take off a representative twig with needles, lay it on a piece of white paper (to keep the camera auto-focus on the plant) and take a closer picture?
Avatar for Everyday
Dec 14, 2016 7:20 PM CST
Thread OP

Thumb of 2016-12-15/Everyday/3f3c55
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Dec 14, 2016 8:33 PM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
Maybe Eastern red cedar which is actually a juniper, Juniperus virginiana

https://www.google.ca/search?q...
Avatar for Everyday
Dec 19, 2016 7:24 AM CST
Thread OP

Thanks everyone for your help!
Since they appear to be eastern red cedar I'm thinking about just letting one of them grow. Is it possible to distinguish males from females at this size?
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Dec 19, 2016 8:29 AM CST
Name: Cinda
Indiana Zone 5b
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I have not found that cedars come up from old root stock , but they do come from seeds, apparently dispersed by the birds.
I have dug them from the flower gardens I tend and there are no cedars on the properties.
They do transplant well if dug young Around two foot or smaller.
They also survive in pots for a couple years in my zone 5 if kept watered.

Enjoy natures free gifts Smiling
..a balanced life is worth pursuit.
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Dec 19, 2016 5:53 PM CST
Name: Rick R.
Minneapolis,MN, USA z4b,Dfb/a
Garden Photography The WITWIT Badge Seed Starter Wild Plant Hunter Region: Minnesota Hybridizer
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As a point of information to avoid more confusion, if Texas Red cedar is actually a cypress according to porkpal, it is not the same as Eastern Red cedar which is a juniper (Juniperus virginiana).

Whatever the conifer is, it is very doubtful that the plants have risen from existing roots. You will know when you dig them up.

Estern Red cedars are not red (of course), but they are rarely that blue, especially in the late fall and winter. I assume the photo was taken within the last month? For this reason, I wonder if they are more likely Rocky Mountain junipers (Juniperus scopulorum), and seedlings of a variety human planted in the area.

I can't think of anything that looks like those (juniper, cypress, false cypress, etc.) that have male plants and female plants. While they all do have male flowers and female flowers, both sexes are born on the same plant. I would choose the one that has the best qualities that you want, but it's difficult at this stage of growth, so I would not spend a lot of effort deliberating. And I would dig and transplant in your spring, not at this time of the year.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. - Socrates
Avatar for porkpal
Dec 19, 2016 6:02 PM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Rick, Texas Red Cedar is, indeed, a Juniper. I don't know why I said Cypress...? Its wood is what is red; the foliage is a slightly bluish green.
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Dec 19, 2016 8:27 PM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
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Sure looks like Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) to me also. Great photos for comparison on this page: http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dend...
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Avatar for Everyday
Dec 20, 2016 8:30 AM CST
Thread OP

From the USDA plant guide:
"Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a medium-sized dioecious or rarely monoecious tree. . .Male and female cones are on separate trees."
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Dec 20, 2016 11:13 AM CST
Name: Rick R.
Minneapolis,MN, USA z4b,Dfb/a
Garden Photography The WITWIT Badge Seed Starter Wild Plant Hunter Region: Minnesota Hybridizer
Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Identifier Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Well I can't argue with that verifiable information. I have several conifer books that post date the 1989 citing, and none mention this. I've noticed at least a couple of the wild trees around me that are both male and female, so I guess we have some of the rare ones here. Thanks for the correction. Smiling Sorry, I don't know that there is any way to distiguish the sexes when young.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. - Socrates
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