Flora of North America species comparison

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Juniperus communis

common juniper, genévrier commun, ground juniper, mountain juniper
Habit Shrubs or small trees dioecious, to 4 m (if trees, to 10 m), multistemmed, decumbent or rarely upright; crown generally depressed.
Bark

brown, fibrous, exfoliating in thin strips, that of small branchlets (5–10 mm diam.) smooth, that of larger branchlets exfoliating in strips and plates.
Branches

spreading or ascending;

branchlets erect, terete.
Leaves

green but sometimes appearing silver when glaucous, spreading, abaxial glands very elongate;

adaxial surface with glaucous stomatal band;

apex acute to obtuse, mucronate.
Seed(s)

cones maturing in 2 years, of 2 distinct sizes, with straight peduncles, globose to ovoid, 6–13 mm, bluish black, glaucous, resinous to obscurely woody, with 2–3 seeds.
2n

= 22.

Juniperus communis
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; GA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NH; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Juniperus communis is the most widespread juniper species, and many subspecies and varieties have been described. A major study, including chemical characters, is needed to clarify the taxonomy. J. D. A. Franco (1962) recognized four subspecies (here considered varieties); two of these—var. communis and var. hemisphaerica (J. Presl & C. Presl) Parlatore—do not occur in the flora and a fifth, recognized here, was not treated by Franco.

The seed cones of Juniperus communis are used to flavor gin.

Varieties 5 (3 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Seed cones 9–13 mm, longer than leaves.
var. megistocarpa
1. Seed cones 6–9 mm, shorter than leaves.
→ 2
2. Glaucous stomatal band on adaxial leaf surface 2 or more times as wide as each green marginal band; spreading to matlike shrubs; leaves linear-lanceolate, to 2 mm wide, apex acute to obtuse and mucronate.
var. montana
2. Glaucous stomatal band on adaxial leaf surface about as wide as each green marginal band; prostrate, low shrubs with ascending branchlet tips (occasionally spreading shrubs, rarely small trees); leaves linear, to 1.6 mm wide, apex acute and mucronate to acuminate.
var. depressa
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Cupressaceae > Juniperus > sect. Juniperus
Sibling taxa
J. ashei, J. californica, J. coahuilensis, J. deppeana, J. flaccida, J. horizontalis, J. monosperma, J. occidentalis, J. osteosperma, J. pinchotii, J. scopulorum, J. virginiana
Subordinate taxa
J. communis var. depressa, J. communis var. megistocarpa, J. communis var. montana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1040. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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