Common Names
Redberry juniper (1), mountain juniper, west-Texas juniper, mountain cedar, rock cedar (2), roseberry juniper (3).Taxonomic notes
Syn: J. pinchotii var. erythrocarpa, J. erythrocarpa Cory var. coahuilensis Martinez 1946, J. texensis van Melle 1952 (1). "Hybridization with Juniperus pinchotii occurs in Big Bend National Park, Texas (Adams and Kistler 1991), and possibly near Saltillo, Mexico. Reports of hybridization with J. ashei have been refuted (Adams 1975)" (3).Description
"Shrubs or trees dioecious, to 8 m, single-stemmed to 1 m or branched at base; crown flattened-globose to irregular to round. Bark gray to brown, exfoliating in long ragged strips, that of small branchlets (5-10 mm diam.) smooth, that of larger branchlets exfoliating in strips, or occasionally in flakes. Branches spreading to ascending; branchlets erect, 3-4-sided in cross section, ca. 2/3 as wide as length of scalelike leaves. Leaves green to light green, abaxial glands elliptic to ovate, at least 1/4 of glands (on whip leaves) with an evident white crystalline exudate, margins denticulate (at 20´); whip leaves 4-6 mm, glaucous adaxially; scalelike leaves 1-3 mm, not overlapping or if so, by less than 1/4 their length, keeled, apex acute, spreading. Seed cones maturing in 1 year, of 1 size, with straight peduncles, globose to ovoid, 6-7 mm, rose to pinkish but yellow-orange, orange, or dark red beneath glaucous coating, fleshy and somewhat sweet, with 1(-2) seeds. Seeds 4-5 mm" (3).Range
USA: Arizona, New Mexico and Texas; Mexico; at 980-1600(-2200) m elevation on Bouteloua grasslands and adjacent rocky slopes (3).Big Tree
-Oldest
-Dendrochronology
-Ethnobotany
-Observations
-Remarks
"Roseberry juniper is unusual in that it sprouts from the stump after burning or cutting" (3).Citations
(1) Silba 1986 (as J. pinchotii var. erythrocarpa).(2) Peattie 1950 (as J. texensis).
(3) Adams, Robert P. in Flora of North America online.
[Juniperus] [Cupressaceae] [home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/cu/ju/coahuilensis.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.net
Last modified on 21-Dec-98