E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Juniperus horizontalis Moench
creeping juniper
Cupressaceae (Cypress family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Juniperus horizontalis
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Sprawling, evergreen shrub, usually less than 30 cm tall, the branch tips trailing.

Leaves:
Scalelike, somewhat overlapping, closely pressed to stem; green, grey-green or blue-green.

Cones:
Seed cones fleshy, berrylike, 5-8 mm long, maturing to bluish-purple, glaucous, on short, recurved stalks; pollen and seed cones on separate plants.

Notes:
May hybridize with J. scopulorum where their ranges coincide; the hybrid has been called J. x fassettii Boivin.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

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.

Habitat / Range

Dry rocky or sandy slopes and flats in the montane zone; common in N BC, infrequent southward; N to SC AK, E to NF and S to CO.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Juniperus horizontalis

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
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	440	1008	2100
Slope Gradient (%)	0	23	85
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	24	208	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	3	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	62
Modal BEC Zone Class	IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BG(5), BWBS(10), ESSF(3), IDF(16), MS(7), SBPS(1), SBS(5), SWB(5)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Juniperus horizontalis var. argentea hort.
Juniperus horizontalis var. douglasii hort.
Juniperus horizontalis var. glauca Hornibr.
Juniperus horizontalis var. variegata Beissn.
Juniperus hudsonica Forbes
Juniperus prostrata Pers.
Juniperus repens Nutt.
Juniperus virginiana var. prostrata (Pers.) Torr.
Sabina horizontalis (Moench) Rydb.
Sabina prostrata (Pers.) Antoine

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Cupressaceae
Flora North America treatment for Juniperus horizontalis
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-18 3:43:11 PM ]

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