Mountain juniper
| Mountain juniper | ||||||||||||
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Mountain Juniper ( Juniperus monticola ) |
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| Juniperus monticola | ||||||||||||
| Martínez |
The mountain juniper ( Juniperus monticola ) is a plant from the family of the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It is native to Mexico and western Guatemala.
description
The mountain juniper grows as an evergreen shrub or tree that can reach heights of up to 10 meters. The shrub shape has twisting branches and an expansive or recumbent shape. The flattened to broadly conical crown of the trees is formed by straight, twisted to ascending branches. The gray to gray-brown to cinnamon or light brown trunk bark is 5 to 10 millimeters thick and flakes off in elongated, fibrous strips or flakes. The twigs have a red-brown to gray-brown bark .
The scale-like, gray-green to green leaves are 1 to 2 millimeters long and are opposite on the branches. They have finely toothed leaf margins and a rounded tip. There is a noticeable resin gland on some leaves.
The mountain juniper is dioecious - separate sexes ( diocesan ). The flowering time is in autumn. The berry cones stand on curved stems and are spherical in shape with a diameter of 5 to 10 millimeters. They have a soft, juicy flesh and are blue-black in color when ripe and have blue-green frosting. Each of the berry cones bears two to nine angular and furrowed seeds.
Distribution and location
The natural range of the mountain juniper is in Mexico and western Guatemala . In Mexico it comprises the states of Coahuila , Federal District , Guerrero , Hidalgo , Jalisco , México , Michoacán , Morelos , Nuevo León , Puebla , San Luis Potosí , Tamaulipas , Tlaxcala and Veracruz . In Guatemala, the species occurs in the Huehuetenango department .
The mountain juniper thrives at altitudes of 2400 to 4500 meters. It grows in the subalpine vegetation level on rocky soils. The species forms mixed stands with firs ( Abies ), oaks ( Quercus ) and pines ( Pinus ) up to the tree line . Above the tree line it grows together with saddle grass ( Calamagrostis ) and fescue ( Festuca ).
Systematics
It was first described as Juniperus monticola in 1946 by Maximino Martínez in Anales del Institutó de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Series Biologia , Volume 17 (1-2), pages 79-85. Other synonyms for Juniperus monticola Martínez are Cupressus sabinoides Kunth , Juniperus tetragona Schltdl. and Sabina tetragona (Schltdl.) Antoine .
The species is divided into up to three forms :
- Juniperus monticola f. compacta Martínez grows as a prostrate shrub that can reach a height of 1 meter. The form occurs in the Sierra Mojada and on the mountains Cerro Pelado , Ajusco , Nevado de Colima , Popocatépetl , Iztaccíhuatl , Tlaloc , Nevado de Toluca , Cerro Potosí , Malinche and Cofre de Perote . It grows there at altitudes of 3000 to 4500 meters. According to genetic studies, the shape is also considered by some authors to be an independent species Juniperus zanonii R.P.Adams (Syn .: Juniperus compacta (Martínez) RPAdams ).
- Juniperus monticola f. monticola is the nominate form and grows as a spreading shrub or tree that can reach heights of up to 10 meters. The form occurs in all mountains in the distribution area at altitudes of 2400 to 4300 meters.
- Juniperus monticola f. orizabensis Martínez grows as a shrub up to 1.5 meters high. The shape occurs on the Citlaltépetl , the Cofre de Perote and the Peña Nevada . It grows at altitudes of 3700 to 4500 meters.
Hazard and protection
The mountain juniper is classified as "not endangered" in the IUCN Red List . However, it is pointed out that a new check of the hazard is necessary.
swell
- Christopher J. Earle: Juniperus monticola. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, May 22, 2011, accessed October 6, 2012 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Christopher J. Earle: Juniperus monticola. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, May 22, 2011, accessed October 6, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Juniperus monticola in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on October 6, 2012th
- ↑ Juniperus monticola. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network. www.ars-grin.gov, accessed on October 6, 2012 (English).
- ↑ Juniperus monticola at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed October 6, 2012.
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Juniperus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved March 29, 2019.