How do you identify juniper leaves?

Juniper has evergreen, prickly, small, blue-green needles with a central white stripe, stiff, arranged in clusters of three. It slightly resembles gorse in its appearance, especially by its bushiness but unlike gorse, it does not regenerate readily after fires. What type of leaves do junipers have?
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.

How many different types of juniper trees are there?

60 species There are almost 60 species of junipers and about 400 cultivars. The cultivars are the plants that will give you the most bang for your garden buck, as they have been selected for smaller size, slower growth rate, and, many times, dramatic foliage. What does a wild juniper tree look like?
Identifying Common Junipers Some common junipers have spiny needle-like leaves that grow in whorls of three: The leaves are sharp-pointed and glossy green with a broad white band on the upper side. The adult tree shape is often narrowly columnar. Common juniper bark is red-brown and peels off in thin, vertical strips.

How do I know what kind of tree I have?

The starting point for most people when identifying trees species is the leaves. There are three basic leaf types: needles, scales and broadleaf. Most evergreens have needles or scales, while most broadleaf trees are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves when dormant. Do juniper trees have pine cones?

Junipers are conifers, but they differ from typical cone–bearing trees, which produce both male and female cones—junipers are either male or female. The female cones turn into fleshy, aromatic berries that are used for a variety of medicinal and culinary purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

Are junipers male or female?

Junipers bear both male and female cones, although the female cones are often referred to as “berries.” Most junipers are dioecious, meaning male and female cones are found on separate trees. … The smaller male cones produce pollen sacs that release pollen grains in spring and summer.

Do junipers have leaves?

Many junipers (e.g. Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus virginiana) have two types of leaves: seedlings and some twigs of older trees have needle-like leaves 0.4 to 1 inch (5 – 25 mm) long; and the leaves on mature plants are (mostly) tiny 0.08 to 0.16 inch (2 – 4 mm) long, overlapping and scale-like.

Is Eastern Red Cedar the same as juniper?

When is a cedar not a cedar? When it’s an eastern redcedar. The name is a misnomer. This plant is actually a juniper, as its botanical name (Juniperus virginiana) indicates.

What is the difference between juniper and arborvitae?

Arborvitae leaves grow more closely together and almost hides its stems. Spartan juniper has a looser foliage habit which allows the skeleton of the tree to sometimes show. The two trees each bear cones, with the juniper cones growing slightly larger and starting out a bluish green.

How do you tell the difference between a juniper and a cypress?

How do I know what type of juniper I have?

A helpful way to perfect juniper tree identification is by looking at its cones. Juniper cones on male trees are small and either yellow or tan. The female plants produce colorful berries, which are actually modified cones. Northwest species berries turn blue at maturity, but some species have red berries.

How do you identify a tree by its leaves?

How tall does a Spartan juniper get?

15 feet tall Spartan juniper trees grow in a pyramidal shape with dense branches and deep green year-round color. They grow to be just 15 feet tall, with a narrow spread of 3-5 feet, making them great additions to compact spaces. They don’t require any pruning and will retain their columnar shape without being clipped.

Is common juniper poisonous?

All juniper berries contain the powerful oil Thujone. This oil can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and kidney problems when ingested in large quantities. … The common juniper, Juniperus communis, is the variety most often used to make gin, medicines, and food dishes, as it is considered safe for human consumption.

Is all juniper edible?

All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. In addition to J. communis, other edible species include Juniperus drupacea, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus deppeana, and Juniperus californica.

Where can I find juniper?

Where to find juniper. Common juniper is native to the UK, Europe and much of the northern hemisphere. It thrives on chalk lowland, moorland, in rocky areas and old native-pine woodland. It is most often found as a low-growing, spreading shrub or small tree.

How do you identify a tree with a phone?

The free mobile application application is called Leafsnap, and it uses visual recognition software to identify tree species from photographs of leaves that users upload to their phones. Leafsnap was developed in 2011 by scientists from Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution.

How do I identify a boxelder tree?

Is there a free app to identify trees?

Leafsnap is a new free app that identifies trees. Go for a walk, take a shot of a leaf and this little wonder will identify its tree and give all kinds of information about it. The app is a result of a collaboration between Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution.

Are all junipers prickly?

Juniper species vary in size and shape, from low, spreading shrubs with trailing branches to tall trees, but they’re all evergreen conifers. The juvenile foliage of juniper shrubs is prickly, and this is an identification feature in seedlings.

Is a juniper tree a cedar tree?

Cedars and junipers are both evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the plant order Pinales. … Junipers are trees belonging to the genus Juniperus. Some of these trees, despite being junipers, are commonly referred to as cedars, such as Juniperus bermudiana, which is commonly known as the Bermuda cedar.

Why are juniper trees twisted?

The gnarled and twisting habit (the word “habit” used when talking about plants refers to their shape) of Utah Junipers gives an indication of their age. It is a result of wind pushing on them. The trunk continuously twists very, very slowly over time.

Is juniper poisonous to dogs?

ANSWER: The University of California – Davis list Juniperus (Junipers) in their Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants list as having a minor toxicity (class 2) for pets and children. This rating means ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea.

What are juniper trees good for?

Juniper is used for digestion problems including upset stomach, intestinal gas (flatulence), heartburn, bloating, and loss of appetite, as well as gastrointestinal (GI) infections and intestinal worms. It is also used for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and kidney and bladder stones.