Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

1 rating

Thursday - November 08, 2012

From: Amston, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: Propagation, Seeds and Seeding, Trees
Title: Male pollinator to produce berries on Juniperus virginiana from Amston CT
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We have planted 3 juniperus virginiana 'Glauca' (on our Connecticut property) that have a few blue berries on them. Will they need a male pollinator to make berries? We do not have other juniperus virginiana in the area, but do have some juniperus communus.

ANSWER:

According to this USDA Forest Service website on Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar), this tree is dioecious, with both male and female plants. However, from Desert USA, we found this paragraph:

"Junipers bear both male and female cones, although the female cones are often referred to as “berries.” Most junipers are dioecious, meaning male and female cones are found on separate trees. Some trees may bear both types of cones."

If you follow this link, Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar), to our webpage on this plant, you will get more information on the tree, including that it is native to Connecticut, so there very well may be male trees in your area.

From the Image Gallery

Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana