Is there a mountain cedar tree in Austin?
The mountain cedar in question is actually juniperus ashei, or the Ashe juniper, which is native to Central Texas, though even that fact has been debated. Twenty years ago, McGreevy saw that the City of Austin’s Environmental Criteria Manual listed the mountain cedar among non-native species in Texas.
Is it a juniper or a cedar tree in Texas?
1. Texas mountain cedars are not actually “cedars.” Often called “mountain cedar,” their fancy Latin name is Juniperus ashei. Thus, they are juniper trees, technically, and we’d be more accurate if we called them “Ashe juniper.”
Is mountain cedar the same as juniper?
In fact, trees called mountain cedar are actually ashe juniper trees. For more mountain cedar information, including facts about mountain cedar pollen and allergies, read on. What is Mountain Cedar? Juniperus ashei has many common names. It is called ashe juniper and mountain cedar, but also rock cedar, Mexican juniper, and Texas cedar.
Are there Cedars in the Texas Hill Country?
Before people settled the area, much of the Texas Hill Country resembled oak savannah with grasslands dotted with oak trees stretching across the land. But mountain cedar still existed, though it tended to stay on steep slopes rather than throughout the land.
How did cedar get to Texas?
Traditionally, cedar is considered an invasive species in Texas, introduced from Mexico by settlers in the early 1900s.
What cedar trees are native to Texas?
Texas cedar trees are a native species and are commonly called Mountain Cedar, Post Cedar, Mexican Cedar and Blueberry Cedar.
Where did mountain cedar come from?
Juniperus ashei (Ashe juniper, mountain cedar, blueberry juniper, post cedar, or just cedar) is a drought-tolerant evergreen tree, native from northeastern Mexico and the south-central United States to southern Missouri. The largest areas are in central Texas, where extensive stands occur.
What type of cedar is in the Texas Hill Country?
The proper name for mountain cedar is Ashe juniper. This tree is an evergreen, cone-bearing tree or shrub typically measuring 30 feet tall. Typically found throughout the Hill Country, these trees often form cedar breaks, which choke out other trees from the area in an almost impenetrable forest of cedar.
Is red cedar native to Texas?
The eastern red cedar is a native throughout the northern and eastern parts of Texas. It is a very dense columnar ornamental that provides excellent wildlife habitat and that can also act as a windbreak. Foliage varies in shades of green. Foliage usually develops a purple to brownish cast during winter months.
What is killing cedar trees in Texas?
It's blamed for hogging ground water and taking needed resources away from other trees such as oak, Cypress, and Mountain Laurel. In fact, it provides natural diversity to the landscape and habitat for many birds and animals.
Is mountain cedar and juniper the same thing?
Despite its common name, the mountain cedar is actually a juniper (Juniperus ashei). Every year around December, we blunder into the midst of the cedar's mating ritual. It begins with the appearance of the male cones—embarrassingly small, amber-colored structures no larger than a grain of rice.
Are junipers native to Texas?
The Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei) is the dominant native tree species of the Texas Hill Country. One of six Juniperus species from the Cypress family (Cupressaceae) in Texas, but the only one in the Texas Hill Country, Ashe Juniper has existed here for tens of thousands of years.
Is cedar and mountain cedar the same?
Mountain cedar is a tree with a common name full of contradictions. The tree is not a cedar at all, and its native range is central Texas, not known for its mountains.
Is Texas cedar the same as juniper?
The differences between cedar and juniper trees. “True cedars have needles,” McGreevy said, while juniper leaves have scales on them. “They're like little tiny, overlapping scales.” True cedars also have small wooden cones, while female juniper trees have berries.
What is the most common tree in Texas?
Live Oak TreesLive Oak Trees Also known as Quercus virginiana, live oaks are the most commonly planted trees in Texas. In fact, you may already have a live oak tree on your property. There are only a few species of live oak, but the primary species are interior live oaks and escarpment.
What is a Texas cedar?
Rock cedar (Juniperus ashei) which is also called the mountain cedar, post cedar, break cedar, Texas cedar, ashe juniper, Mexican juniper and sometimes even sabino is a tree that is well known for the allergy-inducing pollen which it produces.
Are juniper native to Texas?
The Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei) is the dominant native tree species of the Texas Hill Country. One of six Juniperus species from the Cypress family (Cupressaceae) in Texas, but the only one in the Texas Hill Country, Ashe Juniper has existed here for tens of thousands of years.
What tree is native to Texas?
A few of the more well-known natives that are found in Central Texas are the live oak, cedar elm, Spanish oak, Texas ash and the black cherry.
Does Western red cedar grow in Texas?
Mountain Red Cedar The tree grows high in the west Texas mountains and along the panhandle.
Does Texas have juniper trees?
There are three major species of juniper in Texas. They include Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) and eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Because eastern red cedar is found generally east of Interstate Highway 35 in Texas, this paper will focus on redberry and Ashe juniper.
How tall is a cedar tree?
This tree is an evergreen, cone-bearing tree or shrub typically measuring 30 feet tall. Typically found throughout the Hill Country, these trees often form cedar breaks, which choke out other trees from the area in an almost impenetrable forest of cedar.
What is the name of the tree that causes cedar fever?
This allergy season starts with mountain cedar, also known as Ashe juniper. Though knowing more about this tree may not stave off allergy symptoms, it can help you to understand why cedar fever plagues so many in the Hill Country each year.
What is the greenery in Texas Hill Country?
Today, much of the greenery in the Texas Hill Country is made of cedar trees rather than the more diverse, savannah of days past.
What do female cedar cones look like?
The female cones look like blueberries, while the male cones are elongated and hidden at the very ends of the branches. When driving through the Hill Country, you’ll notice mountain cedar trees immediately from their shorter stature, dark green foliage, and peeling bark.
What was Texas Hill Country like before?
Before people settled the area, much of the Texas Hill Country resembled oak savannah with grasslands dotted with oak trees stretching across the land. But mountain cedar still existed, though it tended to stay on steep slopes rather than throughout the land.
Is mountain cedar in Texas?
Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Though much maligned, mountain cedar has been in Texas for thousands of years. Before people settled the area, much of the Texas Hill Country resembled oak savanna with grasslands dotted with oak trees stretching across the land.
Did mountain cedar trees take root?
But mountain cedar still existed, though it tended to stay on steep slopes rather than throughout the land. Grazing by settlers in the 1800s removed grass and more tender saplings, allowing tougher cedar trees to take root and take over.
Why did mountain cedar trees go extinct?
However, by the end of the last major glacial period 10,000-13,000 years ago, populations of mountain cedar in Central Texas probably were extinct because the area was too wet and cool. Most likely that variety of mountain cedar had been pushed into West Texas and Mexico, where in remains today.
Why do people hate cedar trees?
There are several reasons people might hold mountain cedar in great disdain, especially landowners wanting to maintain their grassland and people who suffer cedar allergies. But many think the most important reason for wanting to rid the Hill Country of cedar is that they are water guzzlers. Does scientific research validate that plausible assumption? There are some interesting conclusions coming from recent studies. That will be the topic for our next post.
Why do people want to rid the hill country of cedar?
But many think the most important reason for wanting to rid the Hill Country of cedar is that they are water guzzlers.
What do cedar berries do?
The “berries” provide an important food sources to birds and small mammals. Humans can also eat them, and apparently you can make them into a jam if you are very adventurous!
When did a juniper grow?
According to research at Baylor University, Ashe Juniper has been growing in the United States since the late Pleistocene era. That is as far back as 125,000 years ago. Ashe Juniper was growing when mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed the Earth. Talk about a hardy tree!
What tree do golden cheeked warblers make their nests from?
Golden Cheeked Warblers make their nests almost exclusively from Ashe Juniper bark.
What is the scientific name for Juniper?
The scientific name for Ashe Juniper just sounds like a fancy version of it: Juniperus ashei. You can start using that name to impress all your friends!
What do the fleshy cones on a juniper look like?
The fleshy cones of the female Ashe Juniper look like blue berries. They are a source of food for wildlife.
Is a cheeked warbler a juniper?
It uses the bark of Ashe Juniper trees almost exclusively to build its nests. Without Ashe Junipers there would be no Golden Cheeked Warblers.
Is a mountain cedar tree good for the environment?
Without natural fires to control its growth, Ashe Juniper has exploded to form dense thickets in natural areas and private ranches. Too much Mountain Cedar is not necessarily a good thing. Managing its growth is important to maintaining biodiversity.
How many species of cedar trees are there in Texas?
Cedars are hardy trees found throughout Texas. There are more than 23 species of native cedar trees in Texas, according to the Texas A&M University System Horticulture program. Cedar is a common name for trees in the genus Juniperus and the family Cupressaceae that are often referred to as either junipers or cedars.
How big does a cedar tree grow?
The cedar can grow as big around as it is tall, with some reaching almost 55 feet wide and 55 feet tall. Although highly adaptable to temperature fluctuations and highly resistant to drought, the drooping cedar requires a continually acidic soil that is not often found naturally in Texas. Advertisement.
What is the name of the tree with the berry-shaped leaves?
Oakbark cedar , Juniperus deppeana, is also known as the alligator juniper because the thick barks of the older trees sometimes resemble alligator scales. The oakbark cedar has dark blue-green needle-like leaves that produce small, berry-shaped cones.
Where does a drooping cedar tree grow?
Although native to Texas, the drooping cedar only grows naturally in the upper Chisos Mountains of the Big Bend National Park. The cedar can grow as big around as it is tall, with some reaching almost 55 feet wide and 55 feet tall. Although highly adaptable to temperature fluctuations and highly resistant to drought, the drooping cedar requires a continually acidic soil that is not often found naturally in Texas.
Where does oakbark cedar grow?
The cedar can grow in just about any soil, tolerates excessive heat and requires very little water. The oakbark cedar normally grows in west Texas where it is arid and where desert temperatures can fluctuate from extreme heat to severe cold. Advertisement.
What is the name of the tree that is invasive to the ground?
Rock Cedar. Rock cedar, Juniperus ashei, is also called the mountain cedar, post cedar, break cedar, Texas cedar, ashe juniper, Mexican juniper and sabino. The rock cedar has allergy-inducing pollen, and it can absorb ground water invasively to the detriment of other native plants and trees.
What does a mountain cedar look like?
The trunks of these trees often branch from the base, and the dark bark exfoliates in strips. The leaves on these trees look like scales. However, they are green during the growing season and hold onto the color through winter.
What causes cedar trees to produce pollen?
In a rainy year, the trees produce tons of pollen. The cones begin to appear in December. In a short time, any breath of wind causes clouds of pollen near the trees. Mountain cedar pollen causes an unpleasant allergic reaction in some people. Some call it “cedar fever.”.
What does it mean when you have a fever from cedar?
It can be an annoyance and even dreadful, causing red eyes, a runny nose, itchy ears incessant sneezing and a sort of fatigue that prevents the sufferer from having any energy. Those who suffer from mountain cedar allergies often end up visiting a doctor specializing in allergies.
What is Juniperus ashei called?
Juniperus ashei has many common names. It is called ashe juniper and mountain cedar, but also rock cedar, Mexican juniper, and Texas cedar.
Where does the sycamore tree grow?
Its primary habitat is central Texas but it also grows in the wild in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and northern Mexico.
Is mountain cedar a tree?
Image by GoceIlievski. Mountain cedar is a tree with a common name full of contradictions. The tree is not a cedar at all, and its native range is central Texas, not known for its mountains. What is mountain cedar?
Where are mountain cedars in Texas?
Mountain cedars cover the hills of West Austin and much of the Texas Hill Country. An Austin ecologist says the tree has wrongly been cast as an interloper and environmental hazard.
Why do Texas ranchers hate cedar trees?
Some say the cedar hogs water, depleting our aquifers and outcompeting more desirable trees such as the live oak. Ranchers view it as a noxious weed, an opportunistic plant that has invaded our picturesque Texas grasslands.
What is the name of the water hog that Texans call?
Texans began calling the cedar “a horrendous water hog,” as writer Joe Nick Patoski wrote in 1997. Owen’s study fueled the hate for cedar, giving landowners a new incentive to eradicate this nuisance.
How much water does a 10 foot cedar tree use?
He concluded that the cedar used 33 gallons a day, while the live oak used 19.
What bill would remove mountain cedar trees?
In this year’s legislative session, state Rep. Paul Workman, an Austin Republican, filed House Bill 1572, which would certify that “no restrictions may be made on the ability to remove” a mountain cedar, among a short list of other trees, on the basis that they not only hog water but pose a fire risk.
Is Owen's cedar a juvenile tree?
McGreevy points out the danger in oversimplifying the study. Firstly, Owen’s cedar was a juvenile tree, which consumes water more aggressively than an older cedar, according to recent research by A&M’s Georgianne Moore.
Is mountain cedar flammable?
Another tall tale fueled by our hate for cedar, McGreevy says. She is researching the flammability of mountain cedar and has found that it is no more flammable than other trees that escaped Workman’s removal list, including even the live oak.
Who cleared cedar off his land and his springs started flowing?
For years I’ve heard many people say, “David Bamberger cleared the cedar off his land, and his springs started flowing.”
What is judicious cedar clearing?
Judicious cedar clearing is just a part of Bamberger’s land management. He also works hard to restore grasslands and change slope drainage to increase infiltration and decrease runoff, thereby enhancing the local recharge of groundwater. To see what David Bamberger really says about cedar and water availability, check out the interesting April 25, 2010 issue of Bamberger Ranch Journal.
What is the purpose of mountain cedars?
In early 19th century Texas, Mountain Cedars were prized as a building material for cabins, telephone poles, and railroads and helped jump start the local economy. Mature Mountain Cedars contain high levels of wood oils that make the wood resistant to decay. As a result, the mature Ashe juniper forests that once comprised large swaths of the Texas Hill Country were clear-cut to harvest the bounty.
How much water does a mountain cedar tree use?
Keith Owens at McGreevy’s alma mater, Texas A&M University. The study claimed that the typical Mountain Cedar used 33 gallons of water per day while the typical oak tree averaged 19 gallons daily.
What is the most hated tree in Texas?
Hey, Texas! Put down the chainsaws and reconsider our state’s most hated tree–the Mountain Cedar – Texas Butterfly Ranch
What is the name of the tree that is a water hog?
For those unaware, Ashe juniper trees, aka Mountain Cedars, cover millions of acres in Texas. The tree has been accused of being a useless, non-native, water-hogging species that competes with native grasses, forbs, and oaks to undermine the landscape. The tree is also the source of an irritating pollen that results in “ cedar fever ,” an affliction of allergy sufferers each fall.
Who is the Cedar Lady?
Known in Austin as “the Cedar Lady,” McGreevy taps more than two decades of contemplating Mountain Cedars to lay out their fascinating history and value.
Is mountain cedar an invasive species?
For example, contrary to popular belief, Mountain Cedars are not an invasive species. The tree has been native to Texas for millenia. Juniper pollen was found in a cave in north central Bexar County and dated to be more than 10,000 years old. The Spanish in the 1700s and the Germans in the 1800s used Mountain Cedars to build their homes, missions, and barns.
Who is the founder of Native American Seed in Junction?
Bill Neiman, founder of Native American Seed in Junction, called it a “passionate, absolutely engrossing, 20-year compilation of work” that signals a paradigm shift. Retired national resources conservation specialist Steve Nelle labeled it a “game-changer for those willing to read it with an open and reasoned mind,” but cautioned “be prepared to have some sacred cows challenged.” And Frank Davis, Hill Country Conservancy chief conservation officer, said McGreevy’s book provides a “clear-eyed perspective” about the trees’ complex ecological role in the landscape.
