A rough, bushy tree up to 6 m tall, often branched at the base and up to 8 dm thick with grayish-brown bark; leaves in twos or occasionally in threes, acute or acuminate, glandless or inconspicuously glandular on the back, yellowish-green; berries (seed cones) maturing the second year, rounded or oblong with 1 or rarely 2 seeds. | ||
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General
Description:
Its
habit is a round-crowned shrub usually with many trunks which originate from
the base and bear thin, grayish-brown, exfoliating bark. It is commonly six
to twelve meters tall. Its branches are spreading to ascending. The branchlets
are three- to four-sided and about as thick as the triangular-shaped, scale-like
leaves are long. The light yellow-green scale-like, acute or acuminate, gland
less or inconspicuously glandular adult, tiny leaves are usually arranged in
twos, but sometimes in threes. They are appressed, one to two millimeters long
and tend not to overlap each other. Saplings have three to four times longer,
acuminate, stiff, sharp-pointed awl-like leaves. The ovulate cones contain one
or two seeds and mature in one or two years in two different sizes. The bluish,
glaucous cones (often called berries) appear copper-colored if the wax covering
is rubbed off.
Similar
Species:
Rocky
Mountain Juniper
Distribution:
Great Basin and Rocky Mountain area from Wyoming, across S. Idaho to Nevada,
South to N. M. and California.
Habitat:
Dry plains and foothills.
Other:
A valuable shrub or tree for fence posts that resists decay for decades.
They are not used for lumber because they crack upon drying and tend to be very
knotty. Seed cones can provide a survival snack and are readily
eaten by many birds and rodents.