Juniper and cedar belong to the family Cupressaceae, which includes such grand members as the sequoias and redwoods. Eastern juniper is however a small tree, reaching no more than 10 m at maturity. The leaves of juniper can be scale-like, flattened and overlapping, looking at close inspection like the scales on a fish. Or, the leaves can be sharp and needle shaped, and both can be found together on the same twig. The small blue “berries,” which are actually the small fleshy seed cones, have a strong and pleasant aroma and are used to flavour gin.