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Show NOVEMBER 1995 “pruned” SPECIES Utah’s OF THE Suits Climate and Tough we Durable yy JUNIPER By Pamela M. Poulson Manager of Environmental Education Red Butte Garden and Arboretum A autumn’s last leaves blow south with the wind, there is an obvious lasting olive green on the foothills of Utah. Soft and plumy from a distance, dry and scaly to the touch, junipers will continue to photosynthesize slowly through and winter, solidly, growing producing a thin layer of distinctively twisted red hardwood, to greet the warmth of spring with little change in appearance—as many individuals have done for hundreds of years. Although the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is known for its longevity, adaptations developed to accommodate life in this desert state are common in most woody plants of Utah. Interestingly, slow growth in a_ stressful servationists and field botanists as the P/J forest, these Junipers tolerate dry Intermountain as the eye can summer of winter years. The Canyon has been a few Juniper hundred in Logan aged at 3,600 years. 12 to 18 inches annual known precipitation. to range con- by winter than all other see—to some monot- ovens, red as brick-dust and naked of vegetation except for small juniper trees. And the junipers too were the shape of Mexican ovens. Every conical hill was spotted with smaller cones of juniper... .” —Death to by to Utah: Utah juniper, One-seeded juniper , Rocky Mountain Common juniper. ' The species juniper and most common juniper tree is Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), which, with its multiple trunks and rounded top, resembles giant broccoli. One-seeded monosperma) the Willa juniper (uniperus is rare in Utah and is vMLE CITY OUTLET common juniper scopulorum) is the most tree juniper of the Wasatch distinctive Mountains. It is very because of its pointed crown. Many selections and cultivars have been developed from this juniper, including a newly popular weeping variety. Cultivars are readily available. Co . juniper munis) ties. is a (Juniperus Common of montane Many plant selections com- creeping communi- and cultivars have been developed from _ this juniper and are readily available. Juniper was and still is a significant tree to Native Americans.The berries are used in flavoring (gin is known for its European juniper essence.) The hard seed is used for beads. Young men still bring their new brides to a bed of juniper bark. The dense wood burns like coal hot and long—good for cooking. Burning imparts a distinctive and unforgettable fragrance. Ceremonial significance includes use in prayer sticks, war bows and charcoal for smelting of silver. @ high or 12 high ; from to 30 inchsometimes Range and Distribution J. osteosperma: From 5,000 to 7,000 feet; on dry rocky to sandy desert foothills and mountain slopes; in all Utah counties; from Montana and Wyoming, south to California, Arizona and New Mexico. J. monosperma: From 3,500 to 7,000 feet; dry rocky to sandy desert foothills and mountain slopes; in Kane, San Juan and Washington Counties in Utah; Arizona to Oklahoma and Texas, south to Mexico. J. scopulorum: From 5,000 to 9,500 feet on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; in all counties of Utah; British Columbia to the Dakotas, south to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. MALL Take Kimball Junction Exit to Park City, turn west at the first light. DANA GET THE SECOND AT HALF PRICE WILLIAMS Honesty, Integrity Experience 801-649-4400 Receive a FREE gift with purchase with this ad. PREMIER REALTY PAGE Mountain (Juniperus Description J. osteosperma: Spreading shrub or small tree; rarely over 20 feet inches in diameter; trunk single or many; crown rounded; bark fibrous. J. monosperma: Spreading shrub or small tree; rarely over 5 feet 1-2 feet in diameter;crown open and irregular; bark fibrous. J. scopulorum: Bushy shrub or small tree 40 to 55 feet high and 15 es in diameter; trunk stout; crown irregularly pointed; long branches weeping; bark fibrous. prised of low evergreen trees, usually evenly spaced so that their branches do not touch one another. As in all communities, this natural desert spacing is a result of competition for available water. The understory usually consists of various shrubs and herbaceous plants, but often the ground is essentially bare. Because P/J forests provide good winter forage for antelope, deer and domestic grazers, junipers are readily distinguished from pinyons—even at a distance—because they are evenly PARK resinous. Rocky shrub While various cedars are found in Arizona and California, the only cedars in Utah are those of horticultural origin that were planted in manmade landscapes. BUY ONE MGT PRICE often confused with Utah Juniper. The most noticeable differences being that one seeded juniper tends to grow larger and its needles are Four species of juniper are native The P/J forest is com- Even Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) has been documented to live for 400 years or more. The foothills and high valleys of Utah are recognized worldwide for expansive acreages of Juniper. Often associated with Pinyon Pine, the two trees form pygmy forests in areas of Affectionately can Cather. of for Jardine West Comes Archbishop, and _ blasting snows forests onous “One evening in the autumn of 1851 a solitary horseman, followed by a pack mule, was pushing through an arid stretch of country. . . He . . . was trying to find his way back to the trail....As far as he could see, on every side the landscape was heaped up intO monotonous red sand hills . exactly the shape of can heat pygmy forest types combined, literally as far climate is what makes these woodies so long lived. beneath Early explorers and settlers noted the vast juniper forests in the assignment of names: Cedar City, Cedar Mesa, Cedar Breaks, Cedar Fort. . . Mistaken identity from early on, wherein Europeans identified junipers as the cedars of their home countries, led us into an irreversible situation. While various cedars are found in Arizona and California, the only cedars in Utah are those of horticultural origin that were planted in manmade landscapes. cover over a million acres. This forest type occupies more area in the Mexican from browsers. MONTH 6 800-825-8889 |
