Juniperus communis var. depressa – American Common Juniper – 1-Pint

$7.00

Simply put, a tough plant. In the wild, this juniper grows in the poor soils of old fields and rocky outcrops. It’s the most widespread woody plant in the world, and it varies from a low, spreading groundcover to an upright, conical, small tree and everything in between. In North America (var. depressa) the vast majority of plants are low and either fully prostrate or a bit more moundy. An occasional upright shrub or even small tree to 30′ can occur. Our plants are grown using locally collected seeds from mounding plants. Needles are awl-shaped and sharply tipped which can reduce deer browsing. The colorful blue “berries” (actually waxy cones) are used for medicinal purposes and to flavor gin – they’re a favorite of birds and other wildlife too.

Description

Pine family (Pinaceae)

Image of prostrate form by Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Close-up of foliage and cone (berry) by Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image of mounding form by Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, USA, CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons

Close-up of fresh foliage by R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Note the relatively narrow pale, stomatal band on the underside of the needle – 1-1.5x the size of the green needle edge in J. communis var. depressa verus 2-3x the green edge in J. communis var. communis.

Updated 14 January 2025