The Juniper, Is It a Tree or Shrub?

I thought I knew a juniper when I saw one because of the blue berry-cones that graced the aromatic evergreen. Others confuse junipers with cedar and cypress trees.

After a visit to and a brief talk with Paul Bartolozzi, a certified nursery professional with state of California, I found out my confusion was justified, along with the others.

Junipers come in all sizes and shapes, from crawling shrubs along sand dunes to gnarly ancient ones in the high Sierras. There are 13 species native to North America out of the 50-60 species worldwide.

Junipers share the same family classification Cupressaceae with the cypress and redwoods. Cedars are in another family, Pinaceae. All together they have the characteristic reddish heart wood, even thought their exterior bark ranges in color from brown to rust to gray. They produce seeds in cones. They are fragrant evergreen conifers, with needle-like leaves.

In California there are three native species:
1) Common Juniper (Juniperus communis) the world’s most widely distributed conifer. The California variety is Juniperus communis ‘Saxatilis’ which is a dense shrub with pointed, prickly needles less than one inch long. Its bark sports reddish brown colors that peel in strips.
2) California Juniper (Juniperus californica) is a low coastal shrub with whitish berry-cones. It grows among the cypress trees, which is why it is often confused by association.
3) Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) is tall and wind sculpted, with blue, berry-cones decorating the scaly grey green foliage. It is prominent in boulder fields and rocky, sandy soils.

The video features cultivated shrub and tree species. Fall is the best season in Millbrae to plant these to establish root systems before the winter rains. After a season they are eco-friendly since they require little water, are insect-resistant, and in the case of the Blue Point Juniper, repel deer.

Because of their dense, flexible branches, some are great for bonsai and topiary projects. Left alone, they are creatively shaped by wind and sun exposure.

My favorite is the Blue Point Juniper because it naturally grows into a triangular shape about eight-feet tall and can be decorated for the holidays in your yard!

Of interest is the accidental discovery of the alcoholic beverage, gin, flavored with juniper berries. Franciscus Sylvius, a Dutch doctor, was attempting to create a medicine for kidney and digestive ailments. When British soldiers tasted it and experienced its ‘happy’ effects, they brought it back to England and made it into a popular adult beverage in the 1600s.

Funny that some of the cultivated species are non-flowering and have no juniper berries (berry-cones). Hmmm! Just wondering if these cultivated species were being developed during the Prohibition.