The plant we notice in January is Cedar, especially if you are allergic to Cedar pollen that is released into the air starting in December. The native Cedar of Central Texas is Juniperus ashei. There are many kinds of cedar found throughout the world and they are all in the Cypress family. The Cypress family includes Redwoods, Sequoias and the Cypress trees found along our local waterways. The plants of the Cypress family have aromatic wood that is pest and decay resistant.
Take a good look at local Juniperus ashei plants. The leaves are scale-like. Some of the Cedar trees have dark bluish colored berries. This is a female Cedar. Other Cedar plants have small (about half a cm long) cones. This is the male Cedar. These little cones are full of yellow pollen which is released into the air by the wind this time of year. Plants that have separate male and female types are said to be dioecious.
The mature Cedar trees have shaggy bark. This bark is used exclusively by the endangered Golden-cheeked warblers found in Central Texas for their nests. Many animals eat the juniper berries and several native plants depend upon the enriched soil formed by the decaying needle-like leaves beneath the cedar, including Madrones and Cedar Sages.
People are often surprised to find that Juniperus ashei (our local Cedar) are native. Regular natural fires kept the Cedar population located primarily in the protected canyons and arroyos before 1800.
Without the fires, the Cedars can dominate the landscape. The best time to control cedar growth is when they first germinate as they are easy to pull up. If a cedar is cut it will not spring up from the roots as many hardwood trees do.
The mature Juniperus ashei should be recognized for their contribution and not cleared indiscriminately. Biodiversity is always best for an ecosystem. Leaving mature trees and harvesting monocultures of cedar to allow other native plants to survive is the recommended procedure.
Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist
