Rocky Mt. Juniper
'Juniperus Scopulorum'
A small to medium tree, typically with a dense pyramidal crown.
Native to western North Dakota
Seedling plantings may exhibit
a wide variety of forms. Many denser growing cultivars are used
as ornamentals.
The largest tree in North Dakota has a trunk
circumference of 7½ feet
Information
Mature Height
Growth Habit – Variable pyramidal to narrow crowns, normally
with numerous long, upward-reaching branches.
Texture – Fine, summer and winter.
Crown Height – 20 to 40 feet.
Crown Width – 12 to 20 feet.
Bark Color – Reddish-brown coloration to the underbark,
shredding bark. Older bark has shallow fissures in a network
of flat ridges.
Root System – Variable, shallow in moist areas, deep in dry soils.
Soils
Soil Texture – Prefers deep moist well-drained loam, but will
tolerate sandy soils.
Soil pH – 6.0 to 8.0. Tolerates salts and high pH.
Windbreak Suitability Group – 1, 1K, 3, 4, 4C, 5, 6, 6D, 6G, 7,
8, 9C, 9L.
Cold Hardiness
USDA Zone 3
Water
Extremely drought tolerant once established, but likes moist soils
Leaves & Buds
Bud Arrangement – Continuous.
Bud Color – Same as leaves, hard to distinguish from leaves.
Bud Size – 1/8 inch.
Leaf Type and Shape – Simple scale and awl-like leaves.
Leaf Margins – Entire.
Leaf Surface – Prickly.
Leaf Length – Variable lengths, indeterminate growth, the current
year’s foliage is awl-shaped or scalelike, 1/4 to 1/3 inch.
Leaf Width – Variable 1/16 inch.
Leaf Color – Dark or light bluish-green, glaucous or light green,
variable. Little fall or winter color change.
Flowers & Fruit
Flower Type – Unisexual, usually dioecious.
Flower Color – Female, red to green; male, yellow.
Fruit Type – Cones (typical juniper “berry”), ovoid, and deeply
pitted, mature second year; 1 to 3 seeds.
Fruit Color – Shiny brown seeds in dark blue berry-like
glaucous cones.
Best Uses
Conservation/Windbreaks
Small to medium evergreen for farmstead and field windbreaks.
Most stress tolerant species available for conservation use.
Wildlife
Excellent for cover, nesting, and food.
Agroforestry Products
Wood – Used for fence posts, cedar chests, pencils, and medicines.
Heartwood is decay resistant.
Food – Fruit used in alcohol products.
Medicinal – Used for cancer treatment, and colds, coughs, sore
throats, diarrhea, bleeding, fevers, pneumonia, stomach aches,
and topical pain reliever for arthritis. Source of pinene, a
terpenoid volatile oil and source of podophyllotoxin, an
antibiotic.
Urban/Recreational
Good for ornamental landscaping. Does not turn brown in
winter like Eastern Red-cedar
Pests & Disease
Common diseases include cedar-apple rust (Gymnosporangium)
and Kabatina tip blight.
Common insect pests include spider
mites. Junipers should not be planted near apples, crabapples,
juneberries, or hawthorns due to increased risk of damage by
Gymnosporangium rusts. Extracts of Juniperus species are toxic
to certain insect pests