by Bruce Leander
We are entering prime “cedar fever” season and millions of Central Texans will be affected—some more severely than others. Are you one of them? Bruce is, and it got him wondering about the culprit that causes such misery, the pollen from the numerous cedar trees that populate the Central Texas landscape. Though commonly referred to as cedar, they are actually ashe juniper trees (Juniperus ashei). About a year ago, along with his Nikon, Bruce decided to delve deeper into the root of cedar fever, interviewing allergists and native plant experts, and documenting the reproductive stages of the ashe juniper in photographs. What follows is an abbreviated, yet detailed, description of his discoveries. – Patty Leander
The first thing to know is that the ashe juniper has separate male and female trees. The male trees release pollen from December to February in Central Texas. When the pollen lands in your eyes, nose or bronchial tubes, water soluble proteins and peptides are released into your neighboring cells and bloodstream. If you are allergic to ashe juniper your immune system kicks in and releases histamines as part of the immune response and you then suffer itchy, watery eyes, nasal mucosa and fatigue. Over-the-counter medicines just treat the immune response symptoms (dry you up), but they do nothing to retard the immune response. Allergy shots on the other hand are designed to introduce your body to increasing concentrations of the allergen (cedar proteins) so that the threshold to incite an immune response becomes higher. A higher threshold means your body can take in more cedar pollen before your body offers an immune response. With allergy shots it’s all about not getting to the point where your body responds immunologically, so that you never suffer from exposure to the pollen.
Male cedar pollen cones. 
Pollen cone filled with pollen in sacs but not open yet. 
When the pollen is mature the scales on the cone open and release the pollen (usually on windy, low humidity days). 
Ovulate cones on the female trees are much more difficult to see than the male cones. Sometimes they exude a droplet of liquid on the tip of the ovary to “catch pollen”. 
Close up shot of droplet. Ovulate cones on the female trees are much more difficult to find and see than the male cones. Sometimes they exude a droplet of liquid on the tip of the ovary to “catch pollen”. 
Once fertilized, the fruit (berries) start to develop. 
You end up with these maturing berries. It takes more than a year for them to fully mature. 
Fully mature juniper fruit (berries).
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