Juniperus

Description

Juniperus:

Juniper, (genus Juniperus), genus of about 60 to 70 species of aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A number of species are cultivated as ornamentals and are useful for their timber.

The juvenile leaves of a juniper are needlelike. Mature leaves are awl-shaped, spreading, and arranged in pairs or in whorls of three. Some species have small scalelike leaves, often bearing an oil gland, which are pressed closely to the rounded or four-angled branchlets. Male and female reproductive structures usually are borne on separate plants. The reddish brown or bluish cones are fleshy and berrylike and often have a grayish waxy covering. They mature in one to three seasons and contain 1 to 12 seeds, usually 3.