Juniperus coahuilensis

The red berry juniper (Juniperus coahuilensis ) is a plant from the family of the cypress family ( Cupressaceae ). It is native to the southern United States and northern Mexico.

Description

The red berry juniper grows as evergreen shrub or tree that can reach the stature heights of up to 8 meters and diameter at breast height of up to 1 meter. As he is single-stemmed tree, while the shrub branches on the ground. The branches go straight or ascending from the base and form a flat - spherical to irregular crown. The gray to brown bark peels off in long strips. The bark of the thinner branches is smooth, while the occasional flake of thicker branches in strips or in flakes.

The type formed from two different types of needles. The green to light green, scale-like leaves can reach a length of 1 to 3 millimeters. You are keeled and its tip is pointed. Do not overlap or only up to a quarter of their total length. The flagellated needles are bluish green at the needle top and 4 to 6 millimeters in size. All needles have serrated leaf margins and on its bottom one finds elliptic or ovate glands secrete some of which a striking white, crystalline liquid.

The red berry juniper is dioecious - dioecious ( dioecious ) and the cones mature after one year. The berry- like cones are on straight stems and are at a size 6-7 millimeters shaped globose to ovoid. At maturity towards them are pink, yellow orange, orange or dark red in color and are of a greenish blue layer. Each of the fleshy and sweet-tasting journal carries one or two seeds. The seeds to reach a length of 4 to 5 millimeters.

Distribution and location

The natural range of red berry juniper is located in the southern United States and northern Mexico. It covers in the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In Mexico, you will find the kind only in the state of Coahuila.

The red berry juniper grows at altitudes 980-2200 m. One finds the way, especially in grasslands and on adjacent thereto, rocky mountain slopes. Especially in Arizona leads to the formation of mixed stands with the Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma ). Another related species can Opuntia ( Opuntia ) and yucca (Yucca ) occur.

Use

Before the wood for the production of fence posts has been used.

System

The first description as Juniperus erythrocarpa var coahuilensis was made in 1946 by Maximino Martínez in Anales del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Series Biology, Volume 17, Number 1, page 115-116. Henri Marcel Gaussen described the variety in 1968 in Travaux du Forestier Laboratorie de Toulouse, number 1 (2/10 ), page 154 as an independent species Juniperus coahuilensis.

The species is divided into two varieties:

• Juniperus arizonica var coahuilensis RPAdams occurs in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. A study published by Robert Phillip Adams in 2006 work draws using DNA analysis on the assumption that the variety should be considered a separate species Juniperus arizonica.
• Juniperus coahuilensis var coahuilensis is the nominate form and occurs in Coahuila and Texas.

In Big Bend National Park and probably near Saltillo it comes to hybrid formation with Juniperus pinchotii.

Threats and conservation

The red berry juniper is " not threatened " on the Red List of IUCN. The variety arizonica is also listed as " not at risk ". Both varieties are common and the stocks appear to increase.

Swell

• Christopher J. Earle: Juniperus coahuilensis. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org 12 December, 2010, accessed on 15 April 2012 ( English).