Juniperus procera

East African juniper (Juniperus procera)

The East African juniper (Juniperus procera ) is a plant from the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ). It is native to East Africa and in the west of the Arabian Peninsula.

Description

The East African juniper grows as a evergreen tree that can reach heights of growth of 30 to 40 meters and diameter at breast height of up to 1.5 meters. It is usually single-stemmed, but free-standing trees can also be multi-stemmed and branch usually already close to the ground. The crown is pyramidal in young trees, with age a broad and open and assumes a dome-shaped, flattened or irregular shape. The long and thick branches of the first order go to older trees obliquely ascending from the tribe. Young trees have ascending branches that are hanging with age, however. The first smooth purple bark forms after just a short time papery flakes. Old trees have a fibrous, pale brown or gray -brown bark with deep longitudinal cracks, which peels off in long, narrow strips. The 0.6 to 1 millimeter thick, square in cross-section branches go fiederförmig arranged on the branches. They have an orange rind.

The bright green leaves are alternate or decussate arranged on the branches. Young leaves are needle-like shape with a length of 0.8 to 1 centimeter a width of about 1 millimeter with a wide base and a pointed, sharp top end. Older leaves are scale-like and obovate shaped with a length of 0.5 to 6 millimeters to triangular. They overlap each other and have a smooth leaf margin, a flattened base and a free standing lace. The scale leaves have two or more inconspicuous Stomatalinien. Each sheet has a striking, light green to yellowish green colored and linear- elliptical leaf gland.

The first green, later orange brown male cones are individually on the branches and are 3-5 mm long and 2-3 mm thick. They contain ten to twelve shield-shaped Mikrosporophylle with serrated margins which carry two to three pollen sacs. The sessile or short- stalked female cones are spherical shaped with a diameter of 3 to 7 millimeters. They are first bluish green and change color to maturity through to purple - black and glaucous. They are soft and covered with wax. Each pin has four to six fully coalesced seed scales and bears one to four seeds. Yellowish brown seed angularly ovoid shape with a length of 4 to 5 millimeters and a width of 3 to 3.5 millimeters.

Occurrence

The natural range of the East African juniper is located in East Africa and in the west of the Arabian Peninsula. In Africa, the distribution area of northeastern Sudan in the north extends over the highlands of Abyssinia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia to the north- eastern Zimbabwe in the south. On the Arabian Peninsula, you'll find the kind in the, to the Red Sea mountains bordering Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The East African juniper grows at altitudes 1050-3600 meters. It occurs mainly in mountainous areas, but also in savannas. The annual rainfall varies depending on the location between 400 and 1300 mm. In Africa, there is an approximately five-month dry season, while in the Arabian Peninsula the most precipitation falls in the winter months. In the mountains of the East African juniper grows mainly in open sclerophyllous forests in which he ( gracilior Afrocarpus ) both pure and mixed stands with the lean African yellow wood, Cornus Volkensii and Xymalos monospora and with different types of Agauria, coral trees ( Erythrina ), Nuxia and olive trees ( Olea ) forms.

Threats and conservation

The East African juniper is classified as "low risk" in the IUCN Red List. It is noted, however, that a re-examination of risk is necessary. As the main threat basic forest felling and landscape changes are called together with a small taper.

System

The first description as Juniperus procera in 1847 by Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter in Coniferarum Synopsis, page 26 A synonym for Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. Sabina procera ( Hochst. ex Endl. ) Antoine.

Use

The wood of the East African juniper is used as timber and fuel, and from its plant parts, essential oils can be won. He also finds use as an ornamental tree.

Swell

• Christopher J. Earle: Juniperus procera. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 23, 2012, accessed on 8 December 2012 ( English).