 Tree in Arches National Park, Utah [C.J. Earle, 20-Sep-1992]. |
Juniperus osteosperma
(Torrey) Little 1948
Common NamesUtah juniper, sabina, cedro (2), desert cedar (3), sabina morena (4).
Taxonomic notesSyn: J. tetragona Schlechtendal var. osteosperma Torrey 1857; J. californica Carrière var. utahensis Engelmann; Sabina osteosperma (Torrey) Antoine; S. utahensis (Engelmann) Rydberg (4), J. utahensis (1). It is reported to hybridize with J. occidentalis in northwestern Nevada (5).
Description"Shrubs or trees monoecious, to 6(-12) m, multi- or single-stemmed; crown rounded. Bark exfoliating in thin gray-brown strips, that of smaller and larger branchlets smooth. Branches spreading to ascending; branchlets erect, 3-4-sided in cross section, about as wide as length of scalelike leaves. Leaves light yellow-green, abaxial glands inconspicuous and embedded, exudate absent, margins denticulate (at 20×); whip leaves 3-5 mm, glaucous adaxially; scalelike leaves 1-2 mm, not overlapping, or, if so, by less than 1/10 their length, keeled, apex rounded, acute or occasionally obtuse, appressed. Seed cones maturing in 1-2 years, of 1-2 sizes, with straight peduncles, globose, (6-)8-9(-12) mm, bluish brown, often almost tan beneath glaucous coating, fibrous, with 1(-2) seeds. Seeds 4-5 mm" (4).
RangeUSA: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming at 1300-2600 m elvation on dry, rocky soils and slopes. It is the dominant juniper of Utah (4). See also (9).Big TreeDiameter 221 cm, height 9 m, crown spread 8 m, located in Duchesne County, Utah (7).OldestDendrochronologyEthnobotanySee (8).ObservationsCommon and easily seen at Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks in Utah, and Great Basin National Park in Nevada. In fact, it is difficult to travel in the Great Basin or Colorado Plateau without seeing landscapes covered with this tree, usually in pure stands or accompanied only by Pinus monophylla .RemarksCitations(1) Silba 1986 .(2) Elmore & Janish 1976 . (3) Peattie 1950 . (4) Robert P. Adams at the Flora of North America online . (5) Vasek 1966 . (7) American Forests 1996 . (8) Lanner 1983 . (9) Robert S. Thompson, Katherine H. Anderson and Patrick J. Bartlein. 1999. Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1650 A&B. URL= http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/ppapers/p1650-a/pages/conifers.html, accessed 22-Jan-2000. |
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