Short-leaved juniper

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Short-leaved juniper
Short-leaved juniper on the Azores island of Flores

Short-leaved juniper on the Azores island of Flores

Systematics
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
Subfamily : Cupressoideae
Genre : Juniper ( Juniperus )
Section : Juniperus
Type : Short-leaved juniper
Scientific name
Juniperus brevifolia
( Seub. ) Antoine

The Kurzblättrige juniper ( Juniperus brevifolia ) is a plant of the family of the cypress family (Cupressaceae). It is endemic to the Azores archipelago and is therefore also called the Azores juniper .

description

Vegetative characteristics

Leaves of the short-leaved juniper
The short-leaved juniper population

The short-leaved juniper grows as an evergreen, upright shrub or as a small tree with a broad pyramidal crown . The brown-purple bark of the trunk comes off in strips. The branches stand upright. The needle-shaped leaves , crowded together in whorls , measure 3 to 10 × 1 to 2 millimeters, are strongly curved and have two broad, white bands with stomata on the adaxial upper surface of the leaves .

Generative characteristics

The short-leaved juniper is dioecious separately sexed ( diocesan ). All cones are axillary. The male cones are single. The almost spherical, 7 to 9 millimeter large seed cones ripen in the second year. The seed cones, which are frosted green before maturity and dark copper-brown when ripe, each contain three exposed seeds .

Occurrence

The short-leaved juniper is endemic to the Azores and inhabits the islands of Santa Maria , São Miguel , Terceira , São Jorge , Pico , Faial , Corvo and Flores . It grows on moist rocks of volcanic origin on mountain slopes at altitudes of 250 to 1500 meters.

Systematics and research history

Juniperus brevifolia was founded in 1844 by Moritz August Seubert in Flora Azorica , Volume 26 as a variety and the current Basionym Juniperus oxycedrus var. Brevifolia Seub. first described . Franz Antoine gives her in 1857 in Die Cupressineen genera: Arceuthos, Juniperus u. Sabina , Volume 16, Plate 20 to 22 the rank of a species Juniperus brevifolia (Seub.) Antoine . The separation of Juniperus oxycedrus is supported by comparison of the leaf oil compositions, DNA sequencing and RAPD studies . DNA sequencing also shows the Portuguese species Juniperus navicularis as a related species. It is therefore assumed that Juniperus navicularis and Juniperus brevifolia come from common ancestors and that they came to the Azores through the spread of seeds with the help of birds. The ongoing isolation led to the species formation of the short-leaved juniper through subsequent differentiation .

Juniperus brevifolia is performed within the genus Juniperus in the section or sub-genus Juniperus . For Juniperus brevifolia , in addition to the Basionym Juniperus oxycedrus var. Brevifolia Seub. as another synonym Juniperus rufescens Link var. brevifolia (Seub.) Endl. called.

A distinction can be made between two subspecies and one variety:

  • Juniperus brevifolia subsp. brevifolia : It occurs in the Azores.
  • Juniperus brevifolia subsp. maritima RBElias & E.Días : It occurs in Portugal.
  • Juniperus brevifolia var. Montana RBElias & E.Días : It occurs in Portugal.

Hazards and protective measures

The short-leaved juniper is common in the Azores, but is judged to be endangered due to its small and fragmented distribution area and the competitive situation with naturalized plants. Accordingly, the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) lists it in the Red List of Endangered Species as " VU lnerable", ie endangered.

The short-leaved juniper was designated as a strictly protected wild plant at the European level with the Bern Convention , Appendix I of the Council of Europe . Furthermore, with the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive No. 92/43 / EEC in the updated version of January 1, 2007, Appendix 1 of the European Union, protected area designations for his habitat type Endemic Forests with Juniperus spp. demanded in a manner to be treated with priority.

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  • Robert P. Adams: Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus . 2nd Edition. Trafford Publishing Co., Vancouver 2008, ISBN 978-1-4251-6880-3 , Chapter 4: Keys to Juniperus and Juniperus brevifolia, pp. 81.84 and 118-119 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Juniperus brevifolia (Seub.) Antoine. In: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved March 13, 2011 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Juniperus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ Juniperus brevifolia in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.2. Posted by: P. Thomas, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Council of Europe (ed.): Bern Convention-Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats . Appendix I with Juniperus brevifolia . Bern September 19, 1979 ( online [accessed March 14, 2011]).
  5. ↑ Directive 92/43 / EEC of the Council of May 21, 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and wild animals and plants (Habitats Directive) in the consolidated version of January 1, 2007 , Annex I, page 23, In: OJ. L 206, July 22, 1992, p. 7.

Web links

Commons : Short-leaved Juniper ( Juniperus brevifolia )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files