Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae.
Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50 and 67 species of juniper, widely
distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa
in the Old World, and to the mountains of Central America.
Description
Junipers vary in size and shape from tall trees, 20–40 m tall, to columnar or low
spreading shrubs with long trailing branches. They are evergreen with needle-like and/or
scale-like leaves. They can be either monoecious or dioecious. The female seed cones are very
distinctive, with fleshy, fruit-like coalescing scales which fuse together to form a "berry"-like
structure, 4–27 mm long, with 1–12 unwinged, hard-shelled seeds. In some species these
"berries" are red-brown or orange but in most they are blue; they are often aromatic and
can be used as a spice. The seed maturation time varies between species from 6–18 months
after pollination. The male cones are similar to those of other Cupressaceae, with 6–20
scales; most shed their pollen in early spring, but some species pollinate in the autumn.
Many junipers have two types of leaves: seedlings and some twigs of older trees have needle-like
leaves 5–25 mm long; and the leaves on mature plants are tiny), overlapping and scale-like.
When juvenile foliage occurs on mature plants, it is most often found on shaded shoots, with
adult foliage in full sunlight. Leaves on fast-growing 'whip' shoots are often intermediate
between juvenile and adult. In some species, all the foliage is of the
juvenile needle-like type, with no scale leaves. In some of these, the needles are jointed
at the base, in others, the needles merge smoothly with the stem, not jointed.
The needle-leaves of junipers are hard and sharp, making the juvenile foliage very prickly
to handle. This can be a valuable identification feature in seedlings, as the otherwise very
similar juvenile foliage of cypresses and other related genera is soft and not prickly.
Juniper is the exclusive food plant of the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including
Bucculatrix inusitata and Juniper Carpet, and is also eaten by the larvae of other Lepidoptera
species such as Chionodes electella, Chionodes viduella, Juniper Pug and Pine Beauty; those
of the tortrix moth C. duplicana feed on the bark around injuries or canker.
Classification
The number of juniper species is in dispute, with two recent studies giving very different
totals, Farjon accepting 52 species, and Adams accepting 67 species. The junipers are divided
into several sections, though which species belong to which sections is still far from
clear, with research still on-going. The section Juniperus is an obvious monophyletic group
though. Juniperus sect. Juniperus: Needle-leaf junipers.
The adult leaves are needle-like, in whorls of three, and jointed at the base.
Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Juniperus: Cones with 3 separate seeds; needles with
one stomatal band. Juniperus communis - Common Juniper
Juniperus communis subsp. alpina - Alpine Juniper
Juniperus conferta - Shore Juniper Juniperus rigida - Temple Juniper or Needle
Juniper
Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Oxycedrus: Cones with 3 separate seeds; needles with
two stomatal bands. Juniperus brevifolia - Azores Juniper
Juniperus cedrus - Canary Islands Juniper Juniperus deltoides - Eastern Prickly Juniper
Juniperus formosana - Chinese Prickly Juniper Juniperus lutchuensis - Ryukyu Juniper
Juniperus navicularis - Portuguese Prickly Juniper
Juniperus oxycedrus - Western Prickly Juniper or Cade Juniper
Juniperus macrocarpa - Large-berry Juniper
Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Caryocedrus: Cones with 3 seeds fused together; needles
with two stomatal bands. Juniperus drupacea - Syrian Juniper
Juniperus sect. Sabina: Scale-leaf junipers. The adult leaves are mostly scale-like, similar
to those of Cupressus species, in opposite pairs or whorls of three, and the juvenile
needle-like leaves are not jointed at the base. Provisionally, all the other junipers
are included here, though they form a paraphyletic group.
Old World species Juniperus chinensis - Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii - Sargent's Juniper
Juniperus chinensis L. var. tsukusiensis Masummune Juniperus chinensis Kaizuka
Juniperus chinensis var. Procumbens Juniperus chinensis Globosa
Juniperus chinensis Aurea'
Juniperus convallium - Mekong Juniper Juniperus excelsa - Greek Juniper
Juniperus excelsa polycarpos - Persian Juniper
Juniperus foetidissima - Stinking Juniper Juniperus indica - Black Juniper
Juniperus komarovii - Komarov's Juniper Juniperus phoenicea - Phoenicean Juniper
Juniperus pingii - Ping Juniper Juniperus pingii var. chengii
Juniperus pingii var. miehei Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii
Juniperus procera - East African Juniper Juniperus procumbens - Ibuki Juniper
Juniperus pseudosabina - Xinjiang Juniper Juniperus recurva - Himalayan Juniper
Juniperus recurva var. butanica Juniperus recurva var. coxii - Cox's Juniper
Juniperus sabina - Savin Juniper Juniperus sabina var. davurica - Daurian Juniper
Juniperus saltuaria - Sichuan Juniper Juniperus semiglobosa - Russian Juniper
Juniperus squamata - Flaky Juniper Juniperus thurifera - Spanish Juniper
Juniperus tibetica - Tibetan Juniper Juniperus wallichiana - Himalayan Black Juniper
New World species Juniperus angosturana - Mexican One-seed Juniper
Juniperus ashei - Ashe Juniper Juniperus arizonica - Synonym: Juniperus coahuilensis
var. arizonica or Juniperus erythrocarpa var. coahuilensis. common names: Redberry Juniper,
Roseberry Juniper Juniperus barbadensis - West Indies Juniper
Juniperus bermudiana - Bermuda Juniper Juniperus blancoi - Blanco's Juniper
Juniperus californica - California Juniper Juniperus coahuilensis - Coahuila Juniper
Juniperus comitana - Comitán Juniper Juniperus deppeana - Alligator Juniper
Juniperus durangensis - Durango Juniper Juniperus flaccida - Mexican Weeping Juniper
Juniperus gamboana - Gamboa Juniper Juniperus horizontalis - Creeping Juniper
Juniperus jaliscana - Jalisco Juniper Juniperus monosperma - One-seed Juniper
Juniperus monticola - Mountain Juniper Juniperus occidentalis - Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis subsp. australis - Sierra Juniper
Juniperus osteosperma - Utah Juniper Juniperus pinchotii - Pinchot Juniper
Juniperus saltillensis - Saltillo Juniper Juniperus scopulorum - Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus standleyi - Standley's Juniper Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Juniper
Juniperus virginiana subsp. silicicola - Southern Juniper
Juniperus zanonii
Cultivation and uses
Juniper berries are a spice used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and best known
for the primary flavoring in gin. Juniper berries are also used as the primary flavor
in the liquor Jenever and sahti-style of beers. Juniper berry sauce is often a popular flavoring
choice for quail, pheasant, veal, rabbit, venison and other meat dishes.
Many of the earliest prehistoric people lived in or near juniper forests which furnished
them food, fuel, and wood for shelter or utensils. Many species, such as J. chinensis from eastern
Asia, are extensively used in landscaping and horticulture, and as one of the most popular
species for use in bonsai. It is also a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility.
Some junipers are susceptible to Gymnosporangium rust disease, and can be a serious problem
for those people growing apple trees, the alternate host of the disease.
Some junipers are given the common name "cedar," including Juniperus virginiana, the "red cedar"
that is used widely in cedar drawers. "Eastern redcedar" is the correct name for Juniperus
virginiana. The lack of space between the words "red" and "cedar" indicate that this
species is not a true cedar, Cedrus. In Morocco, the tar of the arar tree is applied
in dotted patterns on bisque drinking cups. Gitran makes the water more fragrant and is
said to be good for the teeth. Some Indigenous peoples, such as the Dineh,
have traditionally used juniper to treat diabetes. Animal studies have shown that treatment with
juniper may retard the development of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice. Native Americans have also
used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas
Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as
well as to speed childbirth. Juniper is one of the plants used in Scottish
and Gaelic Polytheist saining rites, such as those performed at Hogmanay, where the
smoke of burning juniper is used to cleanse, bless and protect the household and its inhabitants.
Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil that may vary from colorless
to yellow or pale green. Some of its chemical components are alpha pinene, cadinene, camphene
and terpineol. Leaves and twigs of Juniperus virginiana are steam distilled to produce
oil of juniper. Middle Tennessee and adjacent northern Alabama and southern Kentucky are
the centers for this activity. The U.S. Forest Service has provided plans for the apparatus
required. This work is typically done during periods of cold weather to reduce the loss
of essential oil to evaporation, which is greater in warmer weather, and to take advantage
of a time of year when labor might be more readily available.
Juniper in weave is a traditional cladding technique used in Northern Europe, e.g. at
Havrå, Norway. Footnotes
References Adams, R. P.. Junipers of the World: The genus
Juniperus. Victoria: Trafford. ISBN 1-4120-4250-X Farjon, A.. World Checklist and Bibliography
of Conifers. Kew. ISBN 1-84246-025-0 Farjon, A.. Monograph of Cupressaceae and
Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-068-4
Mao, K., Hao, G., Liu J., Adams, R. P. and R. I., Milne.. Diversification and biogeography
of Juniperus: variable diversification rates and multiple intercontinental dispersals.
New Phytologist 188(1): 254-272. External links
Junipers of the world Gymnosperm Database - Juniperus
Arboretum de Villardebelle Photos of cones and foliage of selected species
"Juniper". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911. "Juniper". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.