Aligator Juniper
Juniperus deppeana
Photographed near Young, Gila Co., Arizona. Aug. 2005.
Berries are actually fleshy cones and are eaten by birds. Photographed near Young, Gila Co., Arizona. Aug. 2005.
TREE: A medium sized tree with dark brown to nearly black bark formed
into distintive rectangular plates. A
champion located in Yavapai Co., Arizona is
19 meters tall and has a girth in excess of
7 meters.
LEAVES: Leaves are small overlapping scales that are minutely serrate.
RANGE: Junipers thrive mostly in cooler habitats well north or higher in
elevation than the Sonoran Desert. Along the northeastern and eastern boundary
of the Sonoran Desert there are interspersed a very few Aligator Junipers.
CONES: Berry-like cones are fibrous and orange-brown beneath a glaucus,
waxy coating and containing one or two seeds; require two years to mature.
UNARMED. The scale-like leaves can feel a bit prickly though.