Singleseed Juniper, Flaky Juniper
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Mature size/form is highly variable, growing 1-25' tall; depending on selection. Straight-species rarely used in landscapes. Habit may be dwarf, decumbent, ascending or erect. Most commonly is a low to prostrate shrub, but can also be trained into a tree. Slow growth rate.

Native Range

Native to Afghanistan, Himalayas, western China and Taiwan. Introduced 1836.

Flower and Fruit Details

Dioecious (and some monoecious) flowers, male yellow, female green. Fruits in ellipsoidal cones, 0.25-0.33" long, reddish-brown becoming black when ripe in second year, 3-6 scales. Single seeds, ovoid and ridged.

Leaf and Bark Features

Evergreen: Awl-shaped, overlapping foliage, in whorls of 3, needles are 1/8-1/6" long, grayish-green to blue-green, with 2 grayish-white bands, becoming bronze to purplish blue-green in winter. Old leaves persisting on shoots and branchlets as dry brown scales. Rusty-brown bark, exfoliating in papery flakes.

Culture and Care

Adaptable, tolerates dry soils, poor performance in prolonged wet soils. Not well-suited to heat and humidity of the Southeast. Best in Zones 4-7(8). Likes cool, temperate climates. Susceptible to bagworms.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Tolerates any soil, any pH, wind, drought & salt Good wildlife value. 4-season interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Often confused with Juniperus procumbens.

Suggested Uses

Several cultivars available for a variety of uses, straight-species specimens are rarely seen.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA