Utah Juniper

Juniperus osteosperma

Photographed along Camp Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona. Aug. 2008.

Lower branches can be nearly horizontal. Bark is fibrous and gray-brown in color. Photographed along Camp Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona. Aug. 2008.

TREE: A small to medium sized tree with course fibrous bark and typically one main trunk (as opposed to multiple branches from ground level).

LEAVES: Leaves are small overlatpping scales. Resin glands normally cover less than half the leaf surface.

RANGE: Junipers thrive mostly in cooler habitats well north or higher in elevation than the Sonoran Desert. Along the northern tier of the Sonoran Desert there are interspersed a few Utah Junipers.

CONES: Berry-like cones are fibrous and orange-brown beneath a glaucus, waxy coating and containing one or two seeds.

UNARMED. The scale-like leaves can feel a bit prickly though.

Twigs, leaves and cones of Juniperus osteosperma. Photographed along Camp Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona. Aug. 2008.

Cupressaceae -- Juniper Family

More Information:

• Jepson Manual
• Southwest Environmental Information Network
• USDA Plant Profile
• ITIS Taxonomic Report
• Google Images
• Google Scholar Literature Search