Are junipers prickly?

Are junipers prickly?

The needle-leaves of junipers are hard and sharp, making the juvenile foliage very prickly to handle. This can be a valuable identification feature in seedlings, as the otherwise very similar juvenile foliage of cypresses (Cupressus, Chamaecyparis) and other related genera is soft and not prickly.

Do juniper trees have thorns?

Junipers, however, are most commonly shrubs, though they can be trees as well. The plants often feature berrylike, bluish, glaucous, bloomy cones on the tips of their shoots. Some junipers also have spiny needle-like leaves. Juniper trees, when they are fully grown, often resemble narrow columns.

Do all junipers get berries?

All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. In addition to J. communis, other edible species include Juniperus drupacea, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus deppeana, and Juniperus californica.

How do you identify common junipers?

Juniper has evergreen, prickly, small, blue-green needles with a central white stripe, stiff, arranged in clusters of three. It slightly resembles gorse in its appearance, especially by its bushiness but unlike gorse, it does not regenerate readily after fires.

Do junipers have invasive roots?

The creeping juniper plant has an extensive and shallow root system, with larger roots coming from the plant's center and many smaller roots developing as the plant grows. ... Older plants can develop large, horizontally spreading roots up to 1 inch in diameter that may extend 10 feet or more from the plant's center.

Are junipers messy?

Because of its weird nature, juniper doesn't have many practical purposes, although it makes good, but messy, firewood.

What is a juniper tree in the Bible?

The juniper tree is believed to possess the ability to cleanse and make us pure and true to ourselves. ... Juniper was a symbol of the Canaanites' fertility goddess Ashera or Astarte in Syria. In the Bible's Old Testament, a juniper with an angelic presence sheltered the prophet Elijah from Queen Jezebel's pursuit.

Are junipers poisonous to dogs?

The University of California - Davis list Juniperus (Junipers) in their Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants list as having a minor toxicity (class 2) for pets and children. This rating means ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Are junipers poisonous?

Of the roughly 40 species of juniper, a small number are poisonous and a majority have bitter fruits. Only a few yield edible berries (actually modified cones) and only one is routinely used for flavoring. The flavoring juniper, best known for its contribution to gin, is common juniper, Juniperus communis.

Where do junipers grow best?

Plant juniper shrubs in a location with full sun or light shade. When they get too much shade, the branches spread apart in an effort to let more sunlight in, and the damage to their shape can't be repaired. Junipers grow in any type of soil as long as it is well-drained.

What's the difference between Juniperus oxycedrus and prickly juniper?

A further species Juniperus macrocarpa, confined to Mediterranean coastal sands, is more distinct but has also often been treated as a subspecies of Prickly Juniper, as J. oxycedrus subsp. macrocarpa; it differs in the broader leaves 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide, and larger cones 12–18 mm (0.47–0.71 in) diameter.

What are the different types of juniper shrubs?

Their foliage can be dark green, light green, silver-blue or have golden hues. The types of juniper shrubs include low, ground-hugging forms, medium-sized shrubs and large, pyramidal forms. Use low-growing junipers as evergreen ground covers and medium or large shrubs as hedges, screens, windbreaks and specimen plants.

Where does Juniperus oxycedrus live in the world?

Juniperus oxycedrus, vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region from Morocco and Portugal, north to southern France, east to westernmost Iran, and south to Lebanon and Israel,...

Where to find juvenile leaves on a juniper tree?

When juvenile foliage occurs on mature plants, it is most often found on shaded shoots, with adult foliage in full sunlight. Leaves on fast-growing 'whip' shoots are often intermediate between juvenile and adult. In some species (e.g. J. communis, J. squamata ), all the foliage is of the juvenile needle-like type, with no scale leaves.