Juniperus macrocarpa Sm. / Homotypic Synonyms: Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. macrocarpa (Sm.) Neilr., it is a dioecious tree or shrub, broad pyramidal, spherical or scattered crown, evergreen, 1.5-6 m tall. Trunk erect, sometimes ascending; The bark becomes cracked and gray-brown in longitudinal stripes in later stages. The branches are usually curved upwards. Shoots are triangular, initially light green, later brown. Leaves in a circumferential arrangement of 3, attached to the shoots at 70-90 degree angles, sometimes turned backwards, not decurrent at the junction, lanceolate, hard, flat, 12-18 × (1. 😎 2-2.6 mm, 2 pores on top striped, pointed at the tip, stinging, ± keeled below. Male cones are found singly in the leaf axils, initially dirty yellow or orange, later red-brown, ovoid to spherical, about 4 mm long, pollination winter or early spring. Female cones have 3 or 6 scales, grape-like, lateral position in the leaf axils, one by one, mature in 2 years; mature cones spherical to ovoid, (10-)13-20 mm in diameter, green initially, orange, brown or purplish-red when fully mature, waxy on the outside, scales fused, distinct at the tips. Seeds 2-6 pieces, 5.5-9.5 mm long.
Flowering in: Mar-Apr.
Leave a Reply