Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)

 Eastern redcedar has 

- scale leaves, 

- needle like leaves on young growth

- blue "berries" that are actually cones

- shaggy bark  

- narrow tree-shaped growth habit

typical scale-like foliage. often somewhat upturned. Notice the twigs are somewhat scaly too

typical fruit. They are lumpy, unlike actual berries. They have a gray coating on them
The fruits are edible, usually ground as a spice for meats or to flavor gin. 

A young tree just starting to switch from needle foliage to scale foliage 

very young trees are often but not always purple and have needle foliage. 

Male cones are brown and about a quarter inch long on tips of branchlets. 

Mature foliage is often yellow green. 

Somewhat typical shape of a larger tree

bark is finely shreddy 

bark frequently has white patches of redcedar crust fungus (Dendrothele nivosa)
in fact I don't think I've seen a mature redcedar without it. 

twigs year round can have galls of cedar apple rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae)

In April the cedar apple galls grow long, orange telia which make spores that then infect apple trees

orange patches directly on twigs in spring are probably cedar-quince rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes)

Eastern Red cedar is probably most easily confused with common juniper (Juniperus communis). It is uncommon in NJ, mostly only seen in plantings. It never has the scale foliage, only the needle foliage. It is generally sprawling rather than tree-like. There are lots of horticultural Juniperus varieties, that likewise lack the scales. 

This is common juniper to compare.

For me, the most challenging look-alike is Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides). This is generally a south Jersey species and really only grows in wetlands. 

- When the fruit is present it is easy to tell from redcedar as it has brown cones with obvious scales (if still tiny). 

- The foliage is somewhat flattened.

- The scales are more diamond shaped and often have a dot (gland) in the middle) 

- Sprays of foliage tend more toward a fan shape whereas redcedar is more triangular or tree shaped. 

This is Atlantic White Cedar to compare. 

Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is a very, very common horticultural tree in NJ. It has very flat, scaly foliage and cones that are brown, scaled, small, and vase-shaped. 

Arborvitae to compare

Knapweeds (Centaurea sp.)

 

Note: these are my notes, they may well be incorrect. Knapweeds are best identified from a side-view of the flowerhead, which shows clear details of the phyllary bracts (green or brown overlapping "scales" at the base of the "flower") Most common in central NJ (my area) is C. nigrescens, Tyrol knapweed. Each bract has a larger green triangle at the base, with a smaller, dark (black or brown) roundish disk on the end, which is fringed with 5-8 bristles on each side. The green triangle never has bristles outside of the disk. The disc does not obscure your view of other bracts.  

 Most common in NJ as a whole (and especially in the coastal plains) is C. stoebe, spotted knapweed. Each bract is triangular shaped with length-wise stripes and a dark border on the upper third. This dark border has bristles. Also, the basal leaves are very divided, moreso than in other Centaurea species.

   

 I don't have a photo of it, but batchelor's buttons, C. cyanus supposedly is a common escape in NJ. It has bright blue flowers with very broad ray flowers, a very different color from any other of the knapweed species. 

 Brown knapweed, C. jacea has larger flowerheads than either Tyrol or spotted knapweed. It's bracts are brown and papery, not triangular-shaped. They can be somewhat bristly at the base of the phyllary, but near the "flower" they are not and are often notched. They are not green, not striped, and not narrow.  

 Black knapweed, C. nigra, is not often seen in NJ. It's bracts seem to be all fringe. They are very narrowly triangular and obscure the bases of the other bracts. They have more than 8 bristles on a side.  

 There is a hybrid of brown and black knapweed, Monckton's knapweed, C. moncktonia. It has strongly fringed lower bracts and papery, notched upper bracts. I believe this is it here:  

 Finally, there is the garden flower, perennial coneflower, C. montana. It has blue ray flowers that are extremely narrow and widely spaced. I don't believe it escapes:

Elymus canadensis and look-alikes Wild Ryes

 E. canadensis should have recurved awns (usually they would be visible by this late in the season),

spikes that look more slender and a lot of them slightly more gently nodding is less typical on E. canadensis. 

 many of the spikes losing all their seeds early is more typical of E. riparius than E. canadensis. 

E. riparius or E. villosus. You may need to feel the leaf blades to check for pubescence to tell them apart. We are also one county out-of-range for both species.

However, the setting, bottomlands and presumably a floodplain, not far from a stream, would be good habitat for both species, especially E. riparius, and would be less good habitat for E. canadensis which on average is found in drier conditions, and is less tolerant of shade 

Black Willow (Salix nigra)

 Shiny light-colored twigs, small, triangular buds, all of them the same size (no difference between catkin buds and leaf buds), and long and narrow, regularly toothed leaves.

Orthotrichum stellatum (Starry Bristle Moss)

 

• green, rotund capsules lack hairs
• dry, dehisced capsules (last season's in this case) with restriction below the mouth

Ivy leaved speedwells (Veronica hederifolia and V. sublobata)

 Key to distinguish Veronica sublobata from Veronica hederifolia:

1. Pedicel length (at least in fruit) 3–4(-6) times calyx length, usually with few to many randomly scattered long (>width of pedicel) spreading hairs, sometimes also with a single line of short hairs; corollas pale violet, purple, pink or whitish, the interior without a contrasting white (although paler) center, 4–5(-6) mm diam; styles 0.2–0.7 mm long ......................................................... Veronica sublobata
2. Pedicel length 2–3 times calyx length, with a single line of short (< width of pedicel) hairs; corollas blue with a strongly contrasting bright white center, 5–7(-9) mm diam; styles (0.6-)0.7–0.9(-1.1) mm long ...................................... Veronica hederifolia s.str.

Pretty Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema austosinense)

 

• no marginal cilia
• soralia at tips of lobes
• soralia long/cover a good length along the lobe tip
• lower surface bare of rhizines
• lower surface white
• upper surface light green

Pin and Scarlet Oaks (Quercus palustris vs. others)

 Q. palustris has base of leaf decurrent on leaf stem (so wedge-shaped), sinuses narrow-ish (not circular) and main veins of lobes arching toward leaf tip, not heading straight out from central vein. 

Bladder Sedge (Carex intumescens)

 cespitose, wide leaves, single staminate spike with staminate scales awned.

Burdocks (Arctium minus vs. A. lappa)

 A. minus has hollow leaf stems and acute (pointed) leaf tips. 

A. lappa has solid leaf stems and rounded leaf tips.

A. minus has flowers/fruit with short stems, and overall in a cluster following the main stem. 

A. lappa has flowers/fruit with long stems, and overall in a flat-topped cluster. 

A. lappa fruit are larger. 

Rubus species (Blackberries, Raspberries, Dewberries)

In New Jersey we have:

Wineberry (R. phoenicolasias): fuzzy red stems

Black raspberry (R. occidentalis): blue-white, round stems 

(Red raspberry) (R. idaeus) (mostly north of NJ): blue-green, round stems 

Cut-leaved blackberry (R. laciniatus): deeply lobed leaflets

Sand blackberry (R. cuneatus): wedge-shaped, smallish leaflets

Purple flowering raspberry (R. odoratus): leaves not divided, currant or maple-like

Common dewberry (R. flagellaris): trailing with prickles on stems, dull leaves

Swamp dewberry (R. hispidus): trailing with bristles and some prickles on stems, shiny leaves

Common blackberry (R. allegheniensis): fluted stems, flowers in clusters of more than 12, glandular flowerstalks

Pennsylvania blackberry (R. pensylvanicus): fluted stems, flowers in clusters of fewer than 12, not very glandular. 

Tough to separate the last two.