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Juniper is a fairly common and at the same time unique plant. It harmoniously combines beauty and benefits, therefore it is used for both decorative and medicinal purposes. Meanwhile, many people have no idea what juniper looks like or where it grows.
Origin of juniper
Juniper has quite a few synonymous names. In many sources it is mentioned under the name heather (not to be confused with heather - a flowering plant); in the literature, its other name is also found - juniper. In common parlance, juniper is often called walrus or juniper. The plant has been known since ancient times due to its healing properties. Mentions of it are found in the myths of Ancient Greece and the writings of the ancient Roman poet Virgil, as well as in Slavic mythology.
Below in the photo are a tree and juniper leaves.
Its distribution area is quite wide. It is found throughout almost the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic to North Africa. It also grows in North America, in the USA and Canada. There are more than 70 species, both wild and ornamental.
Appearance of juniper
Juniper, a photo and description of which is presented below, belongs to the Cypress genus. It is a shrub that, depending on the type and location of its growth, can have different shapes and sizes. In the southern regions it is most often found in a tree form, in the north - as a low bush. There are also many decorative species of this shrub, the appearance of which is formed and regulated by pruning or cutting.
Description of the tree
According to the description, common juniper is a low evergreen coniferous shrub with a height of 1 to 3 m. It is characterized by slow growth and a significant life expectancy - up to 500 years. The crown is usually rounded, less often conical. The lower branches are often drooping.
Juniper coloring
Young shoots are brown with a reddish tint; the bark of an adult tree is gray, dark, sometimes with a brown tint. The color of juniper depends on the place of growth and weather conditions, as well as the time of year. It is associated with the release of a wax-like substance by the leaves, which scatters light in a certain way. Depending on its presence, the needles may have bluish, yellowish, whitish shades.
In addition to chlorophyll and wax, the leaves of this plant synthesize anthocyanins, substances that protect against ultraviolet radiation.Their number increases in autumn and during periods of drought, and since their color is red-violet, in combination with green they give a characteristic bronze tint, which many species of this plant acquire in the pre-winter period.
What do juniper berries look like?
This shrub can be either monoecious or dioecious. Male cones are small, deep-set, yellowish. Cones of the female type (coneberries) are more numerous, they are ovoid or spherical, about 1 cm in size. At first they are light green in color, later they become blue-black with a bluish tint, and there is a bluish waxy coating on the surface.
The cones ripen in the second year. Each of them contains from 1 to 10 seeds. They are small, triangular, and easily transported by the wind. Juniper cones are not full-fledged berries, they are fused cones, therefore this plant is not an angiosperm, but a gymnosperm.
Description of juniper leaves
Heather leaves, depending on the type and age, are needle-shaped or scale-like. In common juniper they are triangular needles. They are hard, prickly, 1-1.5 cm long and about 1 mm wide. They are stored on shoots for up to 4 years. The green leaf tissues are covered with a layer of waxy coating, which can give the needles different shades of color: light green, bluish or golden. Species with scaly needles grow mainly in the southern regions.
What are the names of juniper leaves?
Depending on the species and age, the leaves of this plant are called needles or scales. But these are precisely leaves that have an elongated lanceolate shape. In common parlance I call them conifers, by analogy with ordinary coniferous trees such as spruce or pine.
How does juniper grow?
In nature, this evergreen shrub reproduces only by seeds. They have a rather low germination rate, and even at home they do not always germinate. Often, sprouts may appear only several years after the seed hits the soil. In the first years, the bush grows quite actively, then its growth rate slows down. Most species of this plant add only 1 to 10 cm per year.
Juniper is a tree or shrub
Juniper, especially many ornamental varieties, often looks like a small tree, although it is a coniferous evergreen shrub, since its appearance is highly dependent on growing conditions. In the Mediterranean, large tree-like specimens are found, growing up to 15 m in height.
In northern latitudes, this plant grows in the form of a low or creeping low-growing bush with creeping shoots.
Juniper coniferous or deciduous tree
There is a clear answer to the question whether juniper is a coniferous or a flowering plant. Like all plants of the Cypress genus, this shrub belongs to the coniferous species.
How long does juniper grow?
In the mythology of many peoples, this shrub is a symbol of immortality. This is due to its long life span. Under normal conditions, the age of plants can reach up to 500–600 years, and some sources mention thousand-year-old juniper trees.
Where does juniper grow in Russia?
This shrub grows throughout almost the entire forest-steppe territory of Russia, with the exception of the polar regions and high mountains.It can be found in the lower tier of light deciduous and pine forests of the European part, the foothills of the Urals and the Caucasus, in Siberia to the Lena River basin. In some regions, the winter hardiness zone of juniper even extends beyond the Arctic Circle. It grows well in almost all types of soil, with the exception of wetlands, as it does not tolerate excess moisture. It prefers light areas, so often the habitat of juniper is clearings, clearings, forest edges or roadsides.
How and when does juniper bloom?
The heather blooms, or as they also say, gathers dust in April-May, and in the Siberian region - in June. The flowers are small cones-spikelets. The female cones are green and sit in groups, while the male cones are yellow and elongated.
Juniper flowering usually goes unnoticed.
What does juniper smell like?
The smell of this shrub greatly depends on its species. In most varieties it is memorable, coniferous, bright, but at the same time subtle. Wood also retains this property, so products made from juniper wood retain this warm and pleasant smell for a long time. You can smell this plant by sniffing natural gin, which is juniper vodka. Some species, such as Cossack and Stinking, have a sharper and unpleasant aroma that can be felt when the needles are rubbed.
Is juniper poisonous or not?
Among the many species of this evergreen shrub, only one is non-poisonous - common juniper. All other species are toxic to one degree or another. The most poisonous of all is the Kazatsky juniper. It can be distinguished by the strong unpleasant odor that its needles emit.The remaining species are less poisonous. Both berries and shoots have toxic properties, since they contain poisonous essential oil.
However, if you follow basic precautions and do not try to taste all parts of the plant, then you can grow wild or cultivated juniper in your garden without any fear.
Interesting facts about juniper
The healing properties and longevity have given rise to many rumors and legends about this plant. However, juniper can truly be called unique without exaggeration. Here are some interesting facts about this evergreen shrub:
- According to archaeological excavations, juniper appeared about 50 million years ago.
- The oldest known juniper was found in Crimea. Its age, according to some sources, is about 2000 years.
- The leaves of this plant secrete a large amount of air-disinfecting substances - phytoncides. In one day, 1 hectare of juniper forest synthesizes about 30 kg of these volatile compounds. This amount is enough to kill all pathogenic bacteria in the air of a large metropolis, such as Moscow.
- If you steam wooden tubs for pickling vegetables or mushrooms with a juniper broom, mold will not grow in them.
- Milk never turns sour in barrels made from juniper bark. Even in the heat.
- Cabinets made of juniper wood never harbor moths. Therefore, branches of this shrub are often stored in drawers with clothes.
- The berries (cone berries) of common juniper are used both in medicine and in gastronomy, as a seasoning for meat and fish.
- Heather wood retains its specific coniferous smell for a very long time.Therefore, for example, in Crimea they often make crafts for tourists from it.
- Eating the berries of this plant is strictly contraindicated for pregnant women, as it can cause miscarriage.
- An interesting feature is the cuttings of this plant, which can be used to propagate the species. If you cut them from the top of the bush, the seedling will tend to grow upward. If you use cuttings from side branches, the young plant will grow in width.
- The roots of this plant have good holding capacity, so bushes are often planted to consolidate soil on slopes and embankments.
- Juniperus virginiana is often called the “pencil tree” because its wood is used to make pencils.
- Thickets of this bush are one of the signs of the close occurrence of a coal seam. Thanks to this property, the Moscow Region coal basin was opened.
Juniper has always been a symbol of life and longevity. In the old days, a sprig of this plant was often kept behind an icon. It is believed that seeing this evergreen shrub in a dream is a sign of wealth and good luck.
Conclusion
In specialized literature you can find detailed information about what juniper looks like, where it grows and how it is used. This article lists only the main properties of this prickly relative of the cypress. This plant is truly unique in many ways with its properties, and a close acquaintance with it will undoubtedly benefit anyone.
