common juniper (ground juniper)
Cupressaceae (Cypress family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Sprawling, evergreen shrub, 0.5-3.0 m tall; bark very thin, reddish-brown, shredding and scaly.
Leaves:
Needle-like, with whitish channel on upper surface, (5) 7-12 (19) mm long, in whorls of three on stem.
Cones:
Seed cones fleshy, berrylike, egg-shaped to globose, 6-9 mm long, green in first year, ripening in second year to bluish black; pollen and seed cones on separate plants.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Blue
Present from Summer to Fall
According to the USDA, this species is a known allelopath.
Source: The USDA
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1294 | 6 | 2854 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
29 | 0 | 244 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
189 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
5370 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(62), BAFA(27), BG(26), BWBS(204), CMA(17), CWH(99), ESSF(1166), ICH(364), IDF(1161), IMA(15), MH(13), MS(1101), PP(59), SBPS(298), SBS(330), SWB(149) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry slopes and open forests to wet coastal muskeg in the lowland to alpine zones; common throughout BC; circumpolar, N to AK, E to NF and S to CA, AZ, NM, and GA; Eurasia.Status Information
| Scientific Name | Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniperus communis var. charlottensis | Native | S3S4 | Yellow | Not Listed |
| Juniperus communis var. depressa | Native | S5 | Yellow | Not Listed |
| Juniperus communis var. kelleyi | Native | S5 | Yellow | Not Listed |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Taxonomic Keys
TAXONOMIC KEY TO JUNIPERUS
1. Leaves awl-shaped, in whorls of 3, spreading; the berrylike fruits sessile in the leaf axils J. communis 1. Leaves mostly scalelike, opposite, appressed to stem; the berrylike-like fruits terminal on the branchlets. 2. Low, spreading or creeping shrubs; fruits recurved on short stalks J. horizontalis 2. Small trees or erect shrubs; fruits erect or nodding J. scopulorum Source The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia Note that since the publication of the Illustrated Flora, new species have been added to the BC flora, and are not incorporated in the keys. |