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Rocky Mountain Juniper

Juniperus scopulorum

Photo by Chappie
Published on Project Noah
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46.9164, -103.526

Field Notes

Description:

Medium sized tree usually with a single trunk of variable shape, from pyramidal to shrubby. Twigs tend to be 4-sided and obviously slender; bark is thin, light gray to reddish-brown, fibrous and stringy. Evergreen; small, dark green, scale-like needles. Pea-sized bluish to bluish-white berries mature late in September, at the end of the second season.

Habitat:

This slow-growing, hardy evergreen is common on north-facing slopes. It does well on poor soils with limited moisture.

Notes:

Winter color is greenish. The Rocky Mountain Juniper was a sacred tree for many Native American tribes. It symbolized the tree of life and was burned in purification and ritual. In some creation myths, the juniper is associated with the advent of the human race; and in other tales, the juniper forest is the home of the thunder birds.

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Photographed
PublishedDecember 13, 2011

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