Alpine juniper

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Alpine juniper
Alpine juniper (Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis) on the summit of Puy Griou in the French Massif Central

Alpine juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis ) on the summit of Puy Griou in the French Massif Central

Systematics
Family : Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Subfamily : Cupressoideae
Genre : Juniper ( Juniperus )
Section : Juniperus
Type : Common Juniper ( Juniperus communis )
Variety : Alpine juniper
Scientific name
Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis
Pall.

The Alpine juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis ), also dwarf juniper called, is a variety of the commons juniper ( Juniperus communis ) in the family of cypress plants (Cupressaceae).

description

Vegetative characteristics

The alpine juniper grows as a prostrate shrub with heights of up to 70 (rarely up to 100) centimeters. The thin, cinnamon-brown to brown trunk bark peels off in broad strips. The prostrate, densely arranged, triangular branches measure about 2 millimeters in diameter.

The 4 to 10 (rarely up to 15) millimeters long and 1 to 2 millimeters wide needle-shaped, somewhat sickle-shaped, sometimes almost overlapping, lanceolate or linear leaves stand upright in whorls in threes. The leaf tips vary from prickly to pointed and blunt. The slightly concave adaxial upper side has a frosted stomatal band in the middle , which is twice as wide or wider than the green marginal bands on both sides. The abaxial underside is keeled.

Alpine juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis ) in Vitosha Mountains , Bulgaria
Dwarf juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis )
Illustration of the alpine juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis )
Branch with cones of the Alpine Juniper ( Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis )

Generative characteristics

The alpine juniper is dioecious separately sexed ( diocesan ). The cones, which are more or less spherical with a diameter of 4 to 9 millimeters, are brownish-black in color and frosted when ripe. They contain one to three hard-shelled, 3 to 4 millimeters large seeds . The pollen is released in late spring.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.

Occurrence

The wide distribution area of ​​the alpine juniper ranges from Europe to the Caucasus region , Russian Siberia and the Russian Far East with Kamchatka , the Kuriles and Sakhalin to the Korean Peninsula and Japan . Further deposits extend from the Middle East with Turkey and Afghanistan through Central Asia with Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan to the western Himalayas with northern Pakistan , India and Nepal , via China with Tibet , Xinjiang and Jilin to Mongolia . Another closed distribution area is located in the west of the North American continent along the northern Pacific coast in Canadian British Columbia , the US states of Oregon , Washington and California , as well as Greenland .

The European occurrences of Alpine juniper are in northern Europe with Iceland , Finland , eastern Norway and Sweden , in western and southwestern Europe with Great Britain , Ireland and France including Corsica , Portugal and Spain . In Central Europe , deposits from Poland , the Czech Republic , Austria , Germany in southernmost Bavaria , Slovakia and Switzerland are known. In southeastern Europe, habitats are settled in the states of the former Yugoslavia , Albania , Romania and Bulgaria , Greece and Italy, and in eastern Europe with Ukraine and Russia.

Preferred locations of the alpine juniper are rocky locations such as dry rocky soils and rocky crevices on mountain slopes and mountain peaks at altitudes from 0 to 4050 meters. It thus reaches the area of ​​the high mountains . It occurs in societies of the Juniperion nanae association, but is supraregional but a species of the Piccetalia order.

The alpine juniper is common in Austria in its habitats such as rock corridors, dwarf shrub heaths and grass lawns, rare in Lower Austria and absent in Vienna and Burgenland . In the Allgäu Alps it occurs at altitudes between 1300 and 2300 meters above sea level.

Danger

The alpine juniper is widespread; its holdings therefore seem to be secure. It is rated as not endangered ("LC = Least Concern") by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN in the Red List of Endangered Species . Also Germany under the synonym Juniperus communis subsp. alpina and Switzerland under the synonym Juniperus communis subsp. nana lists the alpine juniper as not endangered.

use

The alpine juniper is used in parks and gardens, for example, as a ground cover .

The female cones (the "berries") are used to flavor the spirit gin .

Taxonomy

Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis was 1789 by Pallas in Flora Rossica seu Stirpium Imperii Rossici par Europam et Asiam Indigenarum Descriptiones et Icones , Volume 1, page 12, Table 4, Figure A first published . Synonyms for Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis Pall. are among others Juniperus alpina Gray , Juniperus communis subsp. alpina ( Smith ) Čelak. , Juniperus communis subsp. nana ( Willd. ) Syme , Juniperus communis var. jackii Rehder , Juniperus communis var. montana Aiton ( Hort. Kew. , Volume 3, 1789, p. 414), Juniperus nana Willd. , Juniperus oblonga M.Bieb. and Juniperus sibirica Burgsd.

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literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Manfred A. Fischer, Karl Oswald, Wolfgang Adler: excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 3rd, improved edition. Province of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2008, ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 , p. 256 .
  2. ↑ a b Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN): Taxon: Juniperus communis L. var. Saxatilis. In: GRIN = Taxonomy for Plants. United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, accessed October 23, 2011 .
  3. ↑ Juniperus communis subsp. alpina. Distribution map Germany. In: FloraWeb. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, accessed on October 24, 2011 (synonym for Juniperus communis var. Saxatilis ).
  4. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  97 .
  5. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 112.
  6. ↑ Juniperus communis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.1. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998 - Needs reassessment. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  7. ↑ Alpine juniper. In: FloraWeb.de. last accessed June 24, 2011; here as a synonym Juniperus communis subsp. alpina
  8. ↑ D. Moser, A. Gygax, B. Bäumler, N. Wyler & R. Palese: Red list of endangered species in Switzerland: fern and flowering plants . Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape, Bern; Center of the data network of the Swiss flora, Chambésy; Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Chambésy, 2002, p. 72 ( Red List of Threatened Species in Switzerland: Ferns and Flowering Plants ( Memento of January 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) - introductory introduction under further search for the synonym Juniperus communis subsp. Nana ).
  9. ↑ Fl. Horse. (Pallas). Publication details. In: IPNI - The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 21, 2011 .

Web links

Commons : Alpen-Wacholder (Synonym Name Juniperus communis subsp. Alpina )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files