Juniper Memes

The botanical gatekeeping is strong with this one! Despite being called "Eastern Red Cedar," this tree is actually a juniper ( Juniperus virginiana ) that's desperately trying to sit at the cool conifer table. Unlike true cedars, it keeps its leaves year-round but doesn't get the prestigious "conifer" classification in the meme council. Classic taxonomic drama - the tree equivalent of finding out your ancestry test results don't match the family stories. Botanists have been throwing shade at this identity crisis for centuries.