Redberry Juniper, Pinchot's Juniper

Juniperus pinchotii Sudw.

Cupressaceae (Cypress family)


Description

Redberry Juniper is a perennial, cool- and warm-season native. This spreading, bushy tree in the Cypress family grows up to 20 feet or 6 m tall and does not develop a central stem. Its bark is gray, thin, scalelike, and peels off in narrow strips.    The leaves have resin-producing glands that produce white specks on the leaves. The leaves grow in dark green masses and are very slender, thin, and sharp-pointed. The fruit is red or reddish brown when mature and typically carries one seed.    This tree provides poor grazing for wildlife and livestock. Fruits are consumed by small mammals and birds. It is also a larval host of the Juniper Hairstreak butterfly. The plants will resprout from stumps after disturbance. 

Habitat

Redberry Juniper is most common on dry rocky or gravelly soils, usually on open hills, arroyos, canyons, slopes, plains, or flats. It is also found along creeks and drainage areas. 

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