Woody > Juniperus > Juniperus drupacea > Juniperus drupacea
Juniperus drupacea
Syrian Juniper
Origin: Syria and Turkey.
| Family |
| Cupressaceae |
| Genus |
| Juniperus |
| Species |
| drupacea |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Synonyms |
| Arceuthos drupacea |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 5-8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 6-9 |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5-H6 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -23 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| -9 |
| Height |
| 15 m |
| Spread |
| 2 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A medium sized tree which grows considerably faster than other junipers. It is one of the tallest Junipers and bears the largest fruit of the genus. |
| Landscape |
| Used for screens, hedges, windbreaks, also grown in rock gardens or groupings. |
| Cultivation |
| Plant in full sun and dry-moist soils; it is drought tolerant once established. It can tolerate sandy, loamy, and clay soils as long as the soil is well-drained and neutral to slightly alkaline. |
| Shape |
| Broadly conical with a pointed crown. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| It is a vigorous plant and is easily identifiable by it wide needles and large cones. The pollen cones develop in groups of 3-6. |
| Pests |
| Twig blight, rocky mountain juniper aphid, bagworm, juniper midge, and webworms. This particular Juniper is resistant to honey fungus. |
| Habitat |
| Usually found growing in shallow rocky soils in forests or on mountain slopes at an altitude of 600-1,800 m. It occurs in small groups or solitary specimens mixed with other coniferous species. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The bark is orange-brown when young and then turns ashy-grey as the tree matures. |
| Leaf Description |
| Rigid, spreading or reflexed, oblong to linear-lanceolate. Channelled at the upper surface and keeled at the lower surface. Scales are small and in rows of 7-8, with a sharp pointed apex. Needles are roughly 15 mm in length. |
| Flower Description |
| Staminate flowers consisting of 5-6 in a head, on a short, scaly stalk. Stamens are 9-12 in each flower. |
| Fruit Description |
| Fruit, 20-25 mm in diameter, ovate and ripens in the second year. The fruit is edible and consists of 6-9 fleshy scales in groups of three. When the fruit develops, it is greenish developing to a blue-violet to brown colour when ripe. |
| Colour Description |
| Needles are green with a slight tinge of yellow. The bark is a peeling grey colour and the fruit is a blue-brown. |
| Texture Description |
| Medium textured plant with pointy needles, but not sharp, with scaly bark. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England. |
| Propagation |
| Seeds require a period of cold stratification and have a hard coat which can cause very slow germination. It requires a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each 2-3 months in duration. Cuttings can be taken in September through October and placed in a cold frame, then should be transferred and planted outside the following autumn. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| The wood may be used due to its decay-resistance. The cones have high levels of sugars and are used in Turkey for marmalade or sometimes as dried fruit. A strong, diuretic oil can be extracted from the fruit and used for flavouring gin. |
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