Eastern Juniper

Eastern junipers of all sizes can be spotted along the quarry trail and throughout the quarry.  Junipers do well in stressful conditions, where the soil is dry and infertile.  Junipers can survive well in these conditions Perhaps we should admire them for their resistance and ability to survive in conditions that are unsuitable for most plants.  

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Cupressaceae (cypress family)
Genus species: Juniperus virginiana

Leaves:
Evergreen foliage
Leaves are scale-like, not toothed, dark green

Bark:
Reddish-brown, thin, fibrous and shreddy

Cones:
Male and female cones are on separate trees
Female cones look like small blue berries; these are not true berries but are a series of fleshy scales that fuse together to form the berry-like structure. The "berries" require about 6 to 8 months for maturation.
Berries have a soft, juicy, sweet and resinous flavor and are consumed by birds.
Male cones are small and tan-colored.

Habitat:
Dry uplands (especially limestone) to flood plains and swamps. Sometimes in abandoned fields and fence rows or in scattered pure stands.

Range:
Southern Ontario and widespread in eastern half of United States from Maine south to northern Florida, west to Texas, and north to North Dakota.

Common Uses and Interesting Facts:

Junipers are very aromatic
Wood is used for fence posts, chests, carvings
Trees are extremely resilient against drought, heat, cold
The oil was used for medicine and perfumes
Wood used to be the exclusive material for pencils
It is susceptible to cedar-apple rust, and is harmful to apple orchards if it is nearby

Sources:

written by Bryan Helm, edited by Vanessa Artman

Photo credits: Vanessa Artman, Dana Dudle, wikipedia.org

Little, E.L. 1998. National Audubon Society field guide to North American Trees, Eastern Region. Knopf Publishers, New York. 714 pages.




Junipers produce blue "berries". They're not true berries because junipers are not fruit-producing trees. They are a type of gymnosperm, or cone-bearing tree. The blue berries are modified scales, like the scales of a pine cone, but are fleshy instead of woody.


Juniper "berries" are produced on female trees.


Eastern Junipers of all sizes can be spotted throughout the quarry bottom at the Nature Park. Junipers can tolerate a wide range of stressful conditions but are eventually replaced by other tree species as time since disturbance increases.