Rocky mountain juniper

It is a small tree reaching 5-15 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter. The shoots are slender, 0.7-1.2 mm diameter. The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, or occasionally in whorls of three; the adult leaves are scale-like, 1-2 mm long and 1-1.5 mm broad. The juvenile leaves are needle-like, 5-10 mm long. The seed cones are berry-like, globose to bilobed, 6-9 mm in diameter, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain two seeds ; they are mature in about 18 months. The pollen cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring. It is dioecious, producing cones of only one sex on each tree.

Common Names: Rocky Mountain juniper, western redcedar, Rocky Mountain redcedar Family: Cupressaceae (cypress Family) Plant1 from Floridata: click for Plant Profile Get link to this Profile or click for Datasheet - tree Shrub Drought Tolerant Has evergreen foliage Has Unusual or Interesting Foliage Rocky Mountain juniper Rocky Mountain juniper 'Blue Heaven' makes a beautiful accent plant. More

Habitat: Rocky Mountain Junipers occur in a wide variety of habitats, but are usually found on rocky soils, usually limestone or lava. The species is commonly found in open woodlands in the northern, mixing with pinyon pines or junipers further south. More