Canadian juniper (Juniperus communis communis)
Description
Juniperus occidentalis (western juniper or Sierra juniper) is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 metres (2,600-9,800 ft) and rarely down to 100 metres (330 ft) The Juniperus occidentalis shoots are of moderate thickness among junipers,1-1.6 mm diameter. The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three;the adult leaves are scale-like, 1-2 mm long (to 5 mm on lead shoots) and 1-1.5 mm broad. The juvenile leaves (on young seedlings only) are needle-like, 5-10 mm long. The cones are berry-like,5-10 mm in diameter,blue-brown with a whitish waxy bloom,and contain one to three seeds;they are mature in about 18 months.The male cones are 2-4 mm long,and shed their pollen in early spring. The cones are an important food for several birds,including American robin,Clark's nutcracker,phainopepla and cedar waxwing; these digest the fleshy cone scales and disperse the seeds in their droppings.The plants often bear galls caused by the juniper tip midge Oligotrophus betheli (Bibionomorpha: Cecidomyiidae); these are violet-purple fading to brown,1-2 cm diameter,with dense modified spreading scale-leaves 6-10 mm long and 2-3 mm broad at the base.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Coniferophyta
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Class: Pinopsida
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Order: Pinales
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Family: Cupressaceae
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Genus: Juniperus
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