This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol1", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
Juniperus virginiana L. Sp. PI. 1039. 1753.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 100° and a trunk diameter of 50, conic when young, but the branches spreading in age so that the outline becomes nearly cylindric. Leaves mostly opposite, all those of young plants and commonly some of those on the older twigs of older trees subulate, spiny-tipped, 2"-4" long, those of the mature foliage scale-like, acute or subacute, closely appressed and imbricated, 4-ranked, causing the twigs to appear quadrangular; aments terminal; berry-like cones light blue, glaucous, about 3" in diameter, borne on straight peduncle-like branchlets of less than their own length, 1-2-seeded, maturing the first season.
In dry soil, Nova Scotia to western Ontario and South Dakota, south to Florida and Texas. Wood soft, not strong, straight-grained, compact, odorous,.red, the sap-wood white; weight per cubic foot 31 lbs.; used in large quantities in the manufacture of lead pencils. April-May. Fruit ripe Sept.-Oct. Called also Red Savin or Juniper; Juniper-bush, Carolina Cedar, Pencil-wood. Juniperus scopulorum Sargent, the Rocky Mountain Red Cedar, which differs from J. virginiana mainly in maturing its fruit during the second season, has been reported from Nebraska.
A depressed, usually procumbent shrub, seldom more than 4° high. Leaves similar to those of the preceding species, those of young plants and the older twigs of older plants subulate, spiny-tipped, those of the mature foliage scale-like, appressed, 4-ranked, acute or acuminate; aments terminal; berry-like cones light blue, somewhat glaucous, 4"-s" in diameter, borne on recurved peduncle-like branchlets of less than their own length, 1-4-seeded.
On banks, Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to Massachusetts, northern New York, Minnesota and Montana. Has been confused with J. Sabina of Europe. April-May.