Flora of North America species comparison

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Juniperus horizontalis

creeping cedar[, creeping juniper, genévrier horizontal, savinier
Habit Shrubs dioecious, prostrate to decumbent; crown depressed.
Bark

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

creeping;

branchlets erect, 3–4-sided in cross section, ca. 2/3 or less as wide as length of scalelike leaves.
Leaves

green but turning reddish purple in winter, abaxial gland elliptic, conspicuous, exudate absent, margins entire (at 20x and 40x);

whip leaves 4–8 mm, not glaucous adaxially; scalelike leaves 1.5–2 mm, mostly overlapping to 1/3 their length, apex rounded or obtuse to acute and apiculate, spreading.
Seed(s)

cones mostly maturing in 2 years, of 2 distinct sizes, generally with curved peduncles, globose to ovoid, 5–7 mm, blue-black to brownish blue when mature, lightly glaucous, soft and resinous, with 1–2(–3) seeds.
2n

= 22.

Juniperus horizontalis
Habitat Sand dunes, sandy and gravelly soils, prairies, slopes, rock outcrops, and stream banks
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; IA; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NY; SD; VT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Juniperus horizontalis, a prostrate species, hybridizes with the trees J. virginiana and J. scopulorum (R. P. Adams 1983; N. C. Fassett 1945; M. Palma-Otal et al. 1983) and is closely related to both. The hybrid between J. horizontalis and J. scopulorum has been named J. × fassettii Boivin.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Cupressaceae > Juniperus > sect. Sabina
Sibling taxa
J. ashei, J. californica, J. coahuilensis, J. communis, J. deppeana, J. flaccida, J. monosperma, J. occidentalis, J. osteosperma, J. pinchotii, J. scopulorum, J. virginiana
Synonyms J. horizontalis var. douglasii, J. horizontalis var. variegata
Name authority Moench: Methodus 699. (1794)
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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