Practical
Plants

Juniperus occidentalis

Western Juniper

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Juniperus genus in the family Cupressaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
18 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked[10][12][2]. A thin dry flesh[15] with a resinous flavour[5][15]. The fruit is sweet and nutritious[5], it can also be dried or ground into a powder and mixed with cereal flours to be made into a bread[4].The cones are about 10mm in diameter, they take 2 years to mature[6].

Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Western juniper was quite widely employed as a medicinal herb by a number of native North American tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, especially those related to the kidneys and the skin[9]. It is rarely, if at all, used in modern herbalism. The leaves are blood tonic and laxative[7]. A decoction is used in the treatment of constipation, coughs and colds[7]. An infusion of the leaves has been taken by pregnant women prior to giving birth in order to relax the muscles[9]. A poultice of the pounded moistened leaves has been applied to the jaw to treat swollen and sore gums and toothaches[9]. The berries are analgesic, blood tonic and diuretic[9]. A decoction is used to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps and to induce urination[9]. Externally, the decoction is used as a poultice on rheumatic joints[9]. The young twigs are antiseptic, blood tonic and febrifuge[9]. A decoction is used in the treatment of kidney problems, fevers, stomach aches, smallpox, influenza and haemorrhages[9]. The branches have been used in a sweat bath to ease rheumatism[9]. A poultice of the twigs has been used as a dressing on burns and as a drawing agent on boils or splinters[9]. A decoction has been used as an antiseptic wash on sores[9]. The leaves or young twigs have been burnt and the smoke inhaled to ease the pain of headaches[9].

Product or use
Analgesic
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Birthing aid
Product or use
Blood tonic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Odontalgic
Product or use
Poultice

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bark is employed as a tinder and is also made into a slow match[7][9]. The crushed bark was twisted into a rope, tied at intervals with yucca (Yucca species), and wrapped into a coil. The free end was set on fire and kept smouldering by blowing on it at intervals. Fire could be carried in this fashion for several hours[9]. The bark can be wound around a stick and used as a torch to provide light and carry fire to a new campsite[9]. The bark can be rubbed between the hands until it is soft and the fibres can then be woven into clothing[9]. The bark can also be rolled into rope, coiled and then sown to form sandal shoes[9]. The root fibre is used to make twined baskets[9]. The branches have been burnt as an incense and fumigant in the home[9]. The dried seeds have been used as beads or as the 'rattle' in rattles[7]. Wood - very close-grained, light, soft, exceedingly durable. It is easily worked and can be exquisitely finished. Because of its small size, however, it is mainly used for fencing, fuel[10][12][15][8].

Product or use
Basketry
Product or use
Beads
Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Fuel
Product or use
Incense
Product or use
Lighting
Product or use
Tinder
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Western N. America - British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada.
Habitat
Usually found on thin rocky or sandy soils[8] on desert foothills and lower mountains[11], also on windswept peaks[15] up to elevations of 3,000 metres where they become low gnarled shrubs[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, drought
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 - 3 months duration[13][14]. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[3]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[1]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[1][13]. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[13].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in most soils, including chalk, so long as they are well drained[1][3], preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[3]. Established plants are drought tolerant, succeeding in hot dry positions[6]. Plants are slow-growing, though they can live for 3000 years in the wild[6][8]. They are much shorter-lived in cultivation[6], growing better in dry areas with hot summers[6]. Western Britain is generally to cool and wet for this species to thrive[6]. Plants are usually monoecious but are sometimes dioecious. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed and fruit is required. The fruit takes two summers to ripen[8]. Plants are resistant to honey fungus[16].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  7. Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15↩16↩17↩18↩19

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  11. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  13. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩

  15. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987-00-00

    ↩

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