by Cara Meeker,
Native Plants Class 2002
Common Names: Rocky Mountain juniper (also referred to as Colorado
juniper, Rocky Mountain red cedar, western red cedar, Colorado red cedar,
weeping juniper)
Family: Cupressaceae
Synonymy: Juniperus virginiana L. var. scopulorum
Lemmon.
Etymology: The epithet "scopulorum" is Latin for broom,
which is in reference to the drooping branches of this species (3).
Identification
Growth Form: The Rocky Mountain juniper is a sparsely-branched,
coniferous tree with drooping branch tips (3). It can grow to 40 feet,
but averages 20 feet in height (2). It is the most upright and treelike
in habit of the Juniperus species found in the Southwest (1).
Roots:
Stem: The bark appears longitudinally stripped, and shreds with
age. It is gray or reddish brown in color (1,2).
Leaves: The leaves are needle-like on young twigs of immature
trees, but are scale-like on mature trees. The scales are no more than
1/8 inch long, and are grayish-green in color (2).
Inflorescence/flowers:
None.
Fruit: What is commonly referred to as the fruit is actually
a fleshy cone. The cones are small, only ¼ inch in diameter,
and are blue (sometimes bluish-purple) in color. It is covered with
a grayish, waxy coating that dulls the appearance of the cone (1,3).
Similar Species: Juniperus osteosperma and Juniperus
monosperma are similar in structure to Juniperus scopulorum,
but can be distinguished by its smaller needles and its more upright
habit (1).
Ecology
Life History: This species is long-lived perennial (from 25-300
years) (5).
Native/Introduced: Native
Photosynthetic Pathway: C3
Phenology: Rocky Mountain juniper disperses its pollen in the
spring. Seeds are also produced in the spring, but not until the tree
is at least 10-20 years of age. Once matured, the tree will generally
bear seeds every year, but will have larger outcrops every 2-5 years.
(5)
Distribution: Rocky Mountain juniper typically grows from 5000-9000
ft in elevation, and is found in the Western United States from Alberta
and British Columbia to New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada (4).
Uses
Commercial: The wood is used for a variety of lumber products,
fence posts, chests, and pencils. It is also used as a fragrant fuel
(1).
Ethnobotanical: The juniper is a ceremonial plant for the Navajo,
its leaves being used for purification smoke. The cones (berries) are
edible (3).
Wildlife: The cones are a food source for birds and small animals
(1).
References
1. Elmore,
F.H. 1976. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands. Southwest Parks
and Monuments Association. Tucson, Arizona, USA.
2. Epple, A.O.1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. The Globe Pequot Press. Connecticut, USA.
3. Hogan, P., Huisinga, K. 1999. An Annotated Catalog of the Native and Naturalized Flora of Arizona. Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association. AZ, USA.
4. Kearney, T.H., Peebles, R.H. 1960. Arizona Flora. University of California Press, Berkeley. California, USA.
5. USDA Forest Service. Web-based plant database. www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/junsco
