Sunday, February 28, 2016

Betula jacquemontii

Betula jacquemontii
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula jacquemontii
Common Name: Whitebarked Himalayan Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Pyramidal, upward branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-50'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, 5-7.5 cm long, rounded or slightly cuneate (wedge-shaped with straight sides) at base, margin double serrated, dark green above, glandular below, pubescent on veins, 7-9 vein pairs.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: White "paper" bark on trunk and often on young branches.
Culture: Light to part shade, especially afternoon shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: bronze birch borer
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: jacquemontii: after Victor Jacquemont, French naturalist.
Google images of Betula jacquemontii

Betula papyrifera

Betula papyrifera
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula papyrifera
Common Name: Paperbark Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Loosely pyramidal to rounded.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-50'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, 5-12 cm long, rounded or sometimes wedge shaped, glabrous above and pubescent on veins below, coarsely and usually doubly serrate, dull green in summer, yellow in fall.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: After several years, lateral branches show chalky-white paper-like bark, peels easily.
Culture: Sun. Hardy to USDA Zone 2.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Betula papyrifera

Betula glandulosa

Betula glandulosa
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Betula glandulosa
Common Name: Dwarf Birch; Scrub Birch; Bog Birch
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous shrub
Habit: Shrubby, often spreading
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 10'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, rounded to broadly elliptic, rather leathery, margin crenate-serrate or serrate, glabrous beneath, short petiole.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Fruit catkins 1.5-2 cm long, erect, wings of the nutlets narrower than the body.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Twigs with large resinous glands. Bark dark brown.
Culture: Hardy to USDA Zone 3.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: glandulosa: bearing gland
Google images of Betula glandulosa

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Calocedrus decurrens

Calocedrus decurrens
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Calocedrus decurrens
Common Name: Incense Cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Stiff or narrowly columnar in youth, regular in outline, branchlets flattened, terminating in dense, fan-like sprays, wedge-shaped joints.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 70-110'
Leaves: Leaves in 4's closely pressed, a "fluted wine-glass" pattern formed by each outside (lateral) pair of leaves, lustrous dark green throughout the year (little or no winter browning), emitting an aromatic odor when crushed.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male cones small (3 mm), yellow, female cones cylindrical, 2-2.5 cm long, composed of 6 paired, flattened, and pointed scales ("duck-beaks"), ripening in early autumn.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Bark light or reddish brown.
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soils, but shows adaptability to different soil types. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: calocedrus: from the Greek, kalos, beautiful, and kedros, cedar. decurrens: extending down
Google images of Calocedrus decurrens

Cedrus deodara

Cedrus deodara
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Cedrus deodara
Common Name: Deodar Cedar
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Broadly pyramidal with gracefully pendulous branches, drooping central leader, spreading and flat-topped with age. Long branches bearing scattered leaves, and spur-like stems with whorled needles.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-70'
Leaves: Needles 15-20 per whorl, or singly on long shoots, light blue or grayish green, or even silvery, softer than C. atlantica).
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male (pollen) cones are upright, 5-7.5 cm long, usually numerous on lower branches, releasing clouds of yellow pollen in fall, then falling and covering the ground. Female (seed) cones are upright, solitary, or in pairs, ovoid, 7.5-10 cm long, require 2 years to mature.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun. Prefers well-drained and somewhat dry soil. Protect from sweeping winds. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (less hardy than C. atlantica).
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: deodara: from the Indian (East) name for the tree.
Google images of Cedrus deodara

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'
Common Name: Blue Atlas Cedar
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Stiff, erect leader, pyramidal in youth, with age assumes a flat-topped habit with ascending or horizontal branches. Branch tips tend not to droop.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-60'
Leaves: Bluish-green needles clustered on spurs, or alternate on leading twigs, somewhat stiff.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Male (pollen) cones are about 5 cm long, erect. They release clouds of yellow pollen in the fall. Female (seed) cones are barrel-shaped, upright, 5-7.5 cm long, and require 2 years to mature.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 (not hardy for much of the US).
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

Tsuga heterophylla

Tsuga heterophylla
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Tsuga heterophylla
Common Name: Western Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Narrowly pyramidal when young, pendulous branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 60-100'
Leaves: Needles in more or less 2 ranks, although arising from all around the stem, equally broad from base to apex, rounded apex, finely dentate margin, very short petiole, shiny dark green and grooved above, with 2 broad whitish bands below with indistinct edges; persist 4-7 years.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones elliptical, light brown, 2-2.5 cm long, each cone contains 30-40 small seeds.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun, but can take a fair amount of shade in the forest.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Can be sheared into a hedge when young. Bonsai. Native planting.
Additional Information: State tree of Washington. heterophylla: refers to the different sized leaves on the same twig, smaller toward the tip.
Google images of Tsuga heterophylla

Tsuga mertensiana

Tsuga mertensiana
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Tsuga mertensiana
Common Name: Mountain Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Narrowly conical, branches and twigs thin and nodding.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30-100'
Leaves: Needles arranged radially around the stem, but densest on the upper side, linear, stomatal lines on both sides, apex blunt, base attached to the stem via a roundish "peg" and short petiole, gray-green to silver-white; on short lateral branches the needles are grouped in star-like clusters.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Cones oblong-cylindrical, stalkless, pendulous, often purple when young.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: bark charcoal gray to reddish brown, scaly and deeply fissured.
Culture: Sun, if soil not too dry. Best growth occurs in areas of moist air and cool summer temperatures. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Bonsai, small gardens.
Additional Information: mertensiana: after Karl Heinrich Mertens, a German botanist who discovered it in 1827.
Google images of Tsuga mertensiana

Tsuga canadensis

Tsuga canadensis
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Tsuga canadensis
Common Name: Canadian Hemlock; Eastern Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Dense, conical crown when young, becoming ragged and irregular with age, branches spreading horizontally from the trunk. Dead branches persist.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40-80'
Leaves: Needles in 2 ranks, flat, slightly tapered, margin finely toothed, upper side glossy green, whitish below with well-defined stomatal lines. A few shorter needles (usually upside down) over the stem.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Seed cones ovoid, pointed, purplish-brown. Seed release in fall and winter. Spent cones remain on the tree into the next season.
Buds/New Growth: Buds are ovoid and pointed.
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or shade. Best in moist, well-drained, acid soils, but appears adaptable to calcareous soils. Avoid windy, dry, and wet sites. Hardy to USDA Zone 3b.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: 
Google images of Tsuga canadensis

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Voacanga africana

Voacanga africana
Source: www.zimbabweflora.co.zw, photographer BT Wursten
Botanical Name: Voacanga africana
Common Name: Small-fruited Voacanga
Family: Apocynaceae
Type of Plant: Tropical African shrub or small tree
Habit: 
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 20'
Leaves: Opposite with axillary glands, sessile, broadly elliptic to obovate, apex rather abruptly and distinctly pointed.
Flowers: Yellow or white. In large terminal and axillary heads, strongly and unpleasantly scented. November-December.
Fruit: Asymmetrically ovoid to round, mottled green with brown lenticels, turning pale brown when dry.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Bark grayish, smooth. Branches have conspicuous lenticels. Milky latex present.
Culture: 
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: Critically Endangered. From Wikipedia: "The bark and seeds of the tree are used in Ghana as a poison, stimulant, aphrodisiac, and ceremonial psychedelic. These effects are due to the presence of a complex mixture of iboga alkaloids such as voacangine, voacamine, vobtusine, amataine, akuammidine, tabersonine, coronaridine and vobtusine."
Google images of Voacanga africana

Tabernanthe iboga

Tabernanthe iboga
Source: Wikipedia.com, user CiXeL
Botanical Name: Tabernanthe iboga
Common Name: Iboga
Family: Apocynaceae
Type of Plant: Woody rainforest shrub
Habit: Branches occur in pairs.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 6'
Leaves: Opposite, small, green. Sepal-like bracts and conspicuous leaf scars.
Flowers: White and pink.
Fruit: The fruit can be either an elongated oval shape, or a round spherical shape, both having an orange color.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Characterized by milky sap and the occurrence of many useful alkaloids.
Roots: Yellow-colored roots contain a number of indole alkaloids, most notably ibogaine, which is found in the highest concentration in the root-bark. The root material, bitter in taste, causes an anesthetic sensation in the mouth as well as systemic numbness to the skin.
Culture: Part shade. Rich soil and really good drainage.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: From Wiki: "Native to western Central Africa. Iboga stimulates the central nervous system when taken in small doses and induces visions in larger doses. In parts of Africa where the plant grows the bark of the root is chewed for various pharmacological or ritualistic purposes. Ibogaine, the active alkaloid, is also used to treat substance abuse disorders and depression. The Iboga tree is the central pillar of the Bwiti spiritual practice in West-Central Africa, mainly Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo, which uses the alkaloid-containing roots of the plant in a number of ceremonies. Iboga is taken in massive doses by initiates of this spiritual practice, and on a more regular basis is eaten in smaller doses in connection with rituals and tribal dances, which are usually performed at night. Bwitists have been subject to persecution by Catholic missionaries, who to this day are thoroughly opposed to the growing spiritual practice of Bwiti. Léon M'ba, before becoming the first President of Gabon in 1960, defended the Bwiti religion and the use of iboga in French colonial courts. On June 6, 2000, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Gabon declared Tabernanthe iboga to be a national treasure."
Google images of Tabernanthe iboga

Blechnum spicant

Blechnum spicant
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Blechnum spicant
Common Name: Deer Fern
Family: Blechnaceae
Type of Plant: Semi-evergreen fern
Habit: Splaying clump
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 
Leaves: Low-growing sterile fronds spread horizontally from a basal tuft. The fertile fronds are thin and deciduous and grow erect from the center of the clump.
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Part shade to shade. Will grow well in rich moist soils or well-drained locations with occasional summer watering. Will also tolerate sandy and clay soils.
Pruning: Old fronds should be cut back in late winter or early spring before new growth starts.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Woodland garden
Additional Information: 
Google images of Blechnum spicant

Monday, January 18, 2016

Polystichum munitum

Polystichum munitum
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Polystichum munitum
Common Name: Sword Fern
Family: Polypodiaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen fern
Habit: 
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 
Leaves: Fronds (leaves) pinnate, leathery, shiny, stiffly erect, dark green, growing from a dense crown. Fronds cut once, pinnae ("leaflets") alternate, medium texture, on the underside, sori (spore-producing bodies) are uniformly spaced in a single row on either side of the midrib; chaffy petiole covered with scales gradually tapering to a point (acuminate).
Flowers: 
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Part shade to shade. Grows best in rich soil with organic matter and ample water. Polystichum munitum var. imbricans is a compact version which prefers full sun. Hardy to USDA Zone 4.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting
Additional Information: Polystichum: poly, many; stichos, rows, referring to the regular row of sori on the underside of the fronds. munitum: armed, with teeth.
Google images of Polystichum munitum

Vitis californica

Vitis californica
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Vitis californica
Common Name: Western Wild Grape
Family: Vitaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous vine.
Habit: Climbing vine or ground cover.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: Structure dependent.
Leaves: Alternate, large with 3-5 lobes. Turn shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall.
Flowers: 
Fruit: Bunches of small purple grapes hang from the vines in autumn. Edible, but sour.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or shade. Prefers moist sites but will not survive in standing water.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting, training up structures
Additional Information: Bees are attracted to the flowers and birds to the small purple edible grapes. Most commercially grown grapes have been grafted onto V. californica rootstock.
Google images of Vitis californica

Philadelphus lewisii

Philadelphus lewisii
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Philadelphus lewisii
Common Name: Wild Mockorange; Lewis Mockorange
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous shrub
Habit: Many stemmed, broadly arching.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 5 - 10'
Leaves: Opposite, simple, broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, entire to serrate-dentate (i.e., spreading, pointed teeth).
Flowers: White, 4(5)-petals, yellow anthers, 3-11 per cluster, fragrant.
Fruit: 4-cell capsule.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade.
Pruning: Prune after flowering.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting, understory plant.
Additional Information: State flower of Idaho. Hardy to USDA Zone 4.
Google images of Philadelphus lewisii

Rhododendron macrophyllum

Rhododendron macrophyllum
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Rhododendron macrophyllum
Common Name: Western Rhododendron; Pacific Rhododendron
Family: Ericaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Erect, compact in the open but long strangling branches when crowded.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 6 - 12'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong, tapering at both ends, dark green above, paler below but often rusty-colored.
Flowers: 5-lobed, spreading bell-shaped, color varies from pale pink to a rosy purple, rarely white, green/brown spots on the upper lobe, edges crumpled, calyx small, 10 stamens, ovary covered with reddish down. Flower clusters are terminal and may contain 20 or more blooms.
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: State flower of Washington.
Google images of Rhododendron macrophyllum

Gaultheria shallon

Gaultheria shallon
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Gaultheria shallon
Common Name: Salal
Family: Ericaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaved evergreen shrub
Habit: Dense, developing into thickets, branches erect.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: Less than 2' in full sun and poor soil, but 4-10' in shade and good soil.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval-rounded, glossy bright green, bristly serrate.
Flowers: Urn-shaped, white or pinkish, borne in late spring.
Fruit: Rounded, black, ripens in summer, edible but bland. Birds attracted to the fruit.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or part shade, acid soils. Hardy to USDA Zone 6.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Good companion for rhododendron and ferns. Native planting. Forest understory shrub.
Additional Information: Gaultheria: after Jean-François Gaulthier (c. 1708-1758), botanist and physician of Quebec. shallon: the native name.
Google images of Gaultheria shallon

Myrica californica

Myrica californica
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Myrica californica
Common Name: Pacific Wax Myrtle; California Wax Myrtle
Family: Myricaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Many upright stems, loose.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 30'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, clean looking, 5-11 cm long, narrow, lanceolate, dark green, light green below, dotted with black or yellow glands, regularly toothed.
Flowers: Flowers bloom in spring, small, and in male (staminate) and female (pistillate) catkin-like clusters, may also be bisexual; male and female clusters may be on the same or separate plants, often yellow-green and inconspicuous but may be reddish under good sun exposure. May-June
Fruit: Warty, spherical, green then dark purple to black, usually with a white waxy coating, evident in fall. Birds love the fruit.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade. Withstands damp locations and summer drought. Hardy to USDA Zone 7.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Screen, mixed shrub border.
Additional Information: 
Google images of Myrica californica

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium
Source: OSU Department of Horticulture
Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium
Common Name: Yarrow
Family: Asteraceae
Type of Plant: Herbaceous Perennial
Habit: Upright with a basal rosette of leaves
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: < 1'
Mature Height: up to 3' stems
Leaves: Green to grayish green, usually feathery and finely divided.
Flowers: White, yellow, pink, red. Flat-topped flower clusters on 2-3' stems.
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Full sun
Pruning: Cut back after bloom.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native garden, cut flowers
Additional Information: 
Google images of Achillea millefolium

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Common Name: Kinnikinnick; Bearberry
Family: Ericaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen groundcover
Habit: Mat-forming with trailing branches.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 1'
Mature Height: 6-12"
Leaves: Alternate, simple, obovate-oblong, displayed evenly on stem, lustrous dark green above, lighter below, margins have a fringe of minute hairs (ciliate).
Flowers: Perfect, white-tinged pink, urn-shaped, in terminal nodding racemes. April-May
Fruit: Fleshy fruit (drupe), bright red. Doesn't always fruit.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Exfoliating bark on older stems.
Culture: Sun or partial shade. Does best in poor, sandy, infertile, acid soils. There are reports that it grows well on limestone rock. Good salt tolerance.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Groundcover. Rockeries. Steep banks. Street median plantings (and other neglected areas).
Additional Information: Often find them on mountaintops. uva-ursi: bear's grape (uva, grape; ursi, bear, in the family Ursidae). "Kinnikinnik" is thought to be an Algonquian term meaning "smoke mixture." The dried leaves were smoked by a number of Native American groups living along the Pacific Ocean over the past two centuries, but there is little evidence of these groups smoking it prior to their contact with Europeans (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). The berries are still used medicinally to treat bladder and kidney disorders.
Google images of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Amelanchier alnifolia

Amelanchier alnifolia
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Amelanchier alnifolia
Common Name: Saskatoon Serviceberry
Family: Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous shrub/tree
Habit: Spreading to erect shrub
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: 
Mature Height: 40'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, tough, oval to rounded or nearly 4 sided, from 1/4 to 3/4 of the margin serrate, tomentose beneath when young, soon becoming glabrous, 8-13 paired veins, 2-20 teeth on each side of the blade.
Flowers: Small, white, fragrant, 5-15 in erect racemes. The blooms are reminiscent of the witch hazel.
Fruit: Rounded, purple-black, juicy, edible, sweet.
Buds/New Growth: Imbricate, ovoid, sharp-pointed, 5 to 7 visible scales, reddish brown and glabrous on outer surface, silver hairs protruding from underside, appressed half their length.
Stem/Bark: Moderate, slightly angled, rich brown, epidermal layer gray and peeling, odor of almond extract when bruised. Pith: green, solid.
Culture: Sun or part shade. Extremely hardy.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses:  Can be used for erosion control.
Additional Information: Prairie Indians mixed the fruit with buffalo meat and fat to make pemmican, their principal winter food.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Juniperous scopulorum

Juniperous scopulorum
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Juniperous scopulorum
Common Name: Common Juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer tree
Habit: Narrow, pyramidal, often with several main stems.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 30 - 40'
Leaves: Scale-like, tightly appressed, dark or light bluish green, rhombic-ovate, apex acute or acuminate.
Flowers: Monoecious or dioecious. Male has 6 stamens.
Fruit: Cones ripen the second year, globose, dark blue, glaucous bloomy, pulp sweetish. Seeds 2, triangular, reddish brown, prominently angled, grooved.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Bark reddish brown or gray, shredding but persistent.
Culture: Full sun. Withstands drought conditions very well.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Can be used in bonsai. Screens, hedges, backgrounds, foundation plants.
Additional Information: scopulorum: growing on cliffs.

Juniperus communis

Juniperus communis
Source: www.nwplants.com
Botanical Name: Juniperus communis
Common Name: Common Juniper
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen convifer
Habit: Various forms, from groundcover to shrub.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 5 - 10'
Leaves: Only awl-shaped (needles), spreading at a wide angle from the stem, tapering to a spiny point, concave above with a wide white band, often in whorls of 3, persisting for 3 years. Branchlets triangular with projecting ridges.
Flowers: Usually dioecious, staminate yellow.
Fruit: Female cones, solitary, globose, green at first then bluish or black, covered with waxy bloom. Seeds usually 3, elongated ovoid, tri-cornered with depressions between. Fruits used as a diuretic and for flavoring gin.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Reddish brown, scaling off in papery sheets.
Culture: Full sun
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Can be handsome groundcover for sandy soils and waste places, useful for undergrowth and naturalized plantings.
Additional Information: