Juniperus monosperma
Encyclopedia
Juniperus monosperma is a species of juniper
native to western North America
, in the United States
in Arizona
, New Mexico
, southern Colorado
, western Oklahoma
(Panhandle
), and western Texas
, and in Mexico
in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude.
It is a evergreen
coniferous
shrub
or small tree
growing to 2–7 m (rarely to 12 m) tall, usually multistemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown. The bark
is gray-brown, exfoliating in thin longitudinal strips, exposing bright orange brown underneath. The ultimate shoots are 1.2–1.9 mm thick. The leaves
are scale-like, 1–2 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm broad on small shoots, up to 10 mm long on vigorous shoots; they are arranged in alternating whorls of three or opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves, produced on young seedlings only, are needle-like. The cones
are berry-like, with soft resinous flesh, subglobose to ovoid, 5-7 mm long, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain a single seed
(rarely two or three); they are mature in about 6–8 months from pollination. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in late winter. It is usually dioecious
, with male and female cones on separate plants, but occasional monoecious
plants can be found. Its root
s have been found to extend to as far as 61m below the surface, making it the plant with the second deepest roots, after Boscia albitrunca
.
Frequently, cones can be found with the seed apex exposed; these were formerly sometimes considered a separate species "Juniperus gymnocarpa", but this is now known to be due to insect damage to the developing cones (and can affect many different species of juniper); the seeds from such cones are sterile.
It is very rare or even extinct in Mexico, with only a single herbarium collection from 1880 verified; more recent searches have failed to find the species there. A closely related species Juniperus angosturana
was however formerly considered a variety, as J. monosperma var. gracilis Martínez; it differs from J. monosperma in its slenderer shoots 1.0–1.3 mm diameter.
Unlike many other junipers, the wood
is not durable, so is not used to any extent.
Other vernacular names occasionally used include Single-seed Juniper and Cherrystone Juniper.
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
native to western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, southern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, western Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(Panhandle
Oklahoma Panhandle
The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, comprising Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the handle of a cooking pan....
), and western Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude.
It is a evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing to 2–7 m (rarely to 12 m) tall, usually multistemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown. The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is gray-brown, exfoliating in thin longitudinal strips, exposing bright orange brown underneath. The ultimate shoots are 1.2–1.9 mm thick. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are scale-like, 1–2 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm broad on small shoots, up to 10 mm long on vigorous shoots; they are arranged in alternating whorls of three or opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves, produced on young seedlings only, are needle-like. The cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
are berry-like, with soft resinous flesh, subglobose to ovoid, 5-7 mm long, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain a single seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
(rarely two or three); they are mature in about 6–8 months from pollination. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in late winter. It is usually dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male and female cones on separate plants, but occasional monoecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
plants can be found. Its root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s have been found to extend to as far as 61m below the surface, making it the plant with the second deepest roots, after Boscia albitrunca
Boscia albitrunca
Boscia albitrunca, commonly called Witgatboom, Matoppie, or Shepherd's Tree, grows up to 10 metres tall but usually much smaller. It is an evergreen tree native to Southern and Tropical Africa, living in the hot, dry, and often brackish low-lying areas, sometimes on abundant lime and occasionally...
.
Frequently, cones can be found with the seed apex exposed; these were formerly sometimes considered a separate species "Juniperus gymnocarpa", but this is now known to be due to insect damage to the developing cones (and can affect many different species of juniper); the seeds from such cones are sterile.
It is very rare or even extinct in Mexico, with only a single herbarium collection from 1880 verified; more recent searches have failed to find the species there. A closely related species Juniperus angosturana
Juniperus angosturana
Juniperus angosturana is a species of conifer in the Cupressaceae family.It is found only in Mexico.-References:* Conifer Specialist Group 1998. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
was however formerly considered a variety, as J. monosperma var. gracilis Martínez; it differs from J. monosperma in its slenderer shoots 1.0–1.3 mm diameter.
Unlike many other junipers, the wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
is not durable, so is not used to any extent.
Other vernacular names occasionally used include Single-seed Juniper and Cherrystone Juniper.