Cedar ID

Furby · February 23, 2007, 10:31:36 PM

Found this in Western TN.
Can anyone tell us what kind of cedar it is?

WDH · February 23, 2007, 11:04:38 PM

Looks like eastern red to me. Is it in a forest setting where it is likely to be a native, or is it in somebody's yard or a potential escapee ornamental? Eastern Red Cedar can give you a lot of different looks, and that is the cedar that is supposed to be native to that region.

Furby · February 23, 2007, 11:18:30 PM

Forest, I belive it's planted Loblolly, but Stump Jumper can confirm.

WDH · February 23, 2007, 11:28:56 PM

If you cut off or break off one of those bigger dead branches, and if it is ERC, it will have that unique smell and you should be able to see some red color near the pith. That is a pretty easy way to determine without doing any real damage to the tree.

solodan · February 23, 2007, 11:37:32 PM

Any cones, or fruit? Is the foliage flat or round?

Furby · February 24, 2007, 12:01:03 AM

We kind of forgot to get "samples" of the wood and branches. :

They didn't look like the ERC we've seen, and wondered if it was SRC.

SwampDonkey · February 26, 2007, 08:54:27 PM

It does look like eastern red cedar. We don't have it native up here, but I have seen common juniper planted in old Christmas tree plantations.

Tom · February 26, 2007, 08:58:04 PM

Furby, you probably wouldn't have identified it between Eastern Red and Southern Red. Southern Red is not as upright and the 'leaves' aren't as dense as Eastern Red. It is now written (I read it) that many botanist don't make a distinction between the two.

I guess it will be left to we purists. :D :D

Furby · February 26, 2007, 09:18:40 PM

Ah........ thanks Tom. ;)

WDH · February 26, 2007, 09:51:19 PM

Botanist tend to be splitters, so many distinctions they make are not all that practical. If it is native, it is probably a variation of good ole eastern red cedar.

SwampDonkey · February 27, 2007, 08:06:12 AM

Just as bad as trying to separate hybrids of Engelmann spruce. It crosses with white, Sitka and Colorado blue.

thurlow · February 27, 2007, 08:31:16 AM

Don't know about the difference between ERC and SRC; we always just lumped 'em in together. Sure looks native to me. (as gentle a reprimand as I can issue..............you don't get your knuckles rapped, you don't have to stand in the corner, you don't even have to put your head down on your desk; ain't no Western TN; there's East TN, Middle TN and WEST TN; all proud to be part of the Volunteer State, but as uniquely different as MI, MN, and MO are from each other). ;D ;D ;D

Furby · February 27, 2007, 03:15:26 PM

So where's the line between Middle TN and West TN?
Your the first I've meet that can't simply draw a line down the middle and have Western and Eastern or Northern and Southern.
Must be something in the water there eh? ;D

SwampDonkey · February 27, 2007, 03:30:29 PM

:D :D :D

thurlow · February 27, 2007, 04:14:51 PM

It's not something in the water, it's the water itself...................as in the Tennessee River; divides the state into the "Three Grand Divisions". 8)

Tom · February 27, 2007, 04:15:30 PM

It's more than just a line, it's cultures and geographic diversity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee

thurlow · February 27, 2007, 04:22:00 PM

Ain't got time to look at Wikipedia right now............supposed to be wiring my new shop; but you're exactly right about the "culture and geographic diversity". Three distinct soils, history (ies), ancestries, cultures, populations, etc.

Furby · February 27, 2007, 04:29:30 PM

Given that..... we were in Western MIDDLE TN. ;)

Tom · February 27, 2007, 04:34:45 PM

Good recovery, Furby. :D :D

Furby · February 27, 2007, 04:47:59 PM

Well we were close enough that it was almost Eastern WEST TN. :D

Polly · February 27, 2007, 05:11:59 PM

8) 8) 8) :D :D if it iis not esst of nashville iwould not want to live their no doubt this is best section :D :D :D

thurlow · February 27, 2007, 05:24:18 PM

Reprimand is hereby rescinded.........................this will not go on your permanent record, assuming no additional violations (within the next 12 calendar months). ;D :D ;D Y'all must'a been on some pig track if you were following the East side of the TN river.

SwampDonkey · February 27, 2007, 06:04:50 PM

I drove down from Blacksburgh VA, down into Knoxville TN, over into the tip of GA and up into NC in 2001. Other than that, I got no idea what dashed, what water, what cultural or what political lines I crossed. ;D :D

WDH · February 27, 2007, 07:24:35 PM

Swamp Donkey (this is a gentle reprimand), we understand that

Furby · February 27, 2007, 07:24:55 PM

This was my first visit in many, many years to TN West of Nashville.
Been down to Nashville and places East of there many times.

Pig track about says it!

WDH · February 27, 2007, 07:35:27 PM

I have always thought it was pig-tracky as you go west.

But, I thought that MI, MN, and MO were all the same too! (not really. Gentle pun). So much for what I know ???