|
Synonym:
Sabina
scopulorum. Juniperus scopulorum. (Rocky Mountain Juniper) Cupressaceae (Cypress Family) Semi-desert, foothills,
montane. Woodlands. Spring. In the Four Corners area, the Rocky Mountain Juniper is not as common as Utah Juniper, although it does occur in large stands in some areas. It is usually found at more moist higher elevations than Utah Juniper and often is found on north facing slopes in association with Ponderosa Pine (as pictured here). Rocky Mountain Juniper can be distinguished from Utah Juniper by its flatter, more slender, lighter green leaves; its more upright and symmetrical appearance; and its bark which does not shred and flake. Sabina scopulorum is, in contrast to Sabina osteosperma, almost always dioecious, i.e., it has male flowers on one tree, female flowers (and thus the fruit) on another. "Scopulorum" is Latin for "of rocky places". The most often used genus name for this plant, Juniperus, was given by Linnaeus in 1753. The Sabina scopulorum name was given by Per Axel Rydberg in 1905. This species was first collected in Yellowstone National Park in the 1890s and was named Juniperus scopulorum by Charles Sargent in 1897. |
|
|
Synonym:
Sabina
scopulorum. Juniperus scopulorum.
(Rocky Mountain Juniper) Cupressaceae (Cypress Family) Semi-desert, foothills, montane. Woodlands.
Spring. The leaves of Sabina scopulorum are flattened; leaves of Sabina osteosperma are rounded. Sabina scopulorum berries are usually smaller than those of Sabina osteosperma and are juicy, not dry and mealy, when crushed. Bark is light gray and fairly tight, and does not shred as Sabina osteosperma does. The tree shown is quite old and two feet in diameter. |
|
|
Juniperus deppeana
(Alligator Juniper) Cupressaceae (Cypress Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Woodlands.
Spring. This very distinctive and attractive Juniper is found only in the far southern portions of the Four Corners in Arizona and New Mexico. (It ranges southward through Arizona and New Mexico to West Texas and into Mexico.) It is often scattered among Ponderosa Pines, Pinyons, other Junipers, and oaks. Its berries are a good food source for many birds and mammals, including Turkey, Coyote, and mice. "Deppeana" honors the early 19th century German collector Ferdinand Deppe. (More biographical information.) |
|
|
Juniperus
deppeana
(Alligator Juniper) Cupressaceae (Cypress Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Woodlands.
Spring. |
|
|
Juniperus
deppeana
(Alligator Juniper) Cupressaceae (Cypress Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Woodlands.
Spring. Beautiful burnt orange bark, still plated in Alligator squares, often appears on younger limbs on an old tree. |
