Discover Life - Cupressaceae: Juniperus monosperma (Engelm. ) Sarg. - One-seed juniper, One Seed Juniper, Oneseed Juniper

Juniperus monosperma

(Engelmann) Sargent 1896

Common names

One-seed juniper, cherrystone juniper, New Mexico cedar ( Peattie 1950 ), sabina ( Adams 1993 ).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: J. gymnocarpa, Sabina monosperma ( Silba 1986 ), Juniperus occidentalis var. monosperma Engelmann 1878 ( Adams 1993 ).

"Reports of hybridization with J. pinchotii have been refuted by use of numerous chemical and morphologic characters; the two species have nonoverlapping pollination seasons" ( Adams 1993 ).

Description

"Shrubs or trees dioecious, to 7(12) m, usually branching near base; crown rounded to flattened-globose. Bark gray to brown, exfoliating in thin strips, that of small branchlets (5-10 mm diam.) smooth, that of larger branchlets exfoliating in either flakes or in strips. Branches ascending to erect; branchlets erect, 4-6-sided, ca. 2/3 as wide as length of scalelike leaves. Leaves green to dark green, abaxial glands elongate, fewer than 1/5 of glands (on whip leaves) with an evident white crystalline exudate, margins denticulate (at 20×); whip leaves 4-6 mm, glaucous adaxially; scalelike leaves 1-3 mm, not overlapping, or if so, by less than 1/4 their length, keeled, apex acute to acuminate, spreading. Seed cones maturing in 1 year, of 1 size, with straight peduncles, globose to ovoid, 6-8 mm, reddish blue to brownish blue, glaucous, fleshy and resinous, with 1(-3) seeds. Seeds 4-5 mm" ( Adams 1993 ).

Range

USA: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas at 1000-2300 m elevation on dry, rocky soils and slopes (3). Other sources ( Peattie 1950 , Silba 1986 ) constrain the Texas range to the Panhandle, Big Bend and Edwards Plateau areas, and recognize an extension into Mexico (N Sonora and Chihuahua). See also Thompson et al. 1999 .

Big tree

Diameter 136 cm, height 9 m, crown spread 9 m, located in the Jicarilla Mountains, NM ( American Forests 1996 ).

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Juniperus monosperma (Engelm. ) Sarg.

Common names

Taxonomic notes

Description

Range

Big tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

See also