Juniperus sabina

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Juniperus sabina

Conservation status

Least concern

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Cupressaceae
Genus:	Juniperus
Species:	J. sabina

Binomial name

Juniperus sabina
L.

Juniperus sabina (Savin Juniper or Savin) is a shrubby juniper, very variable in shape, reaching 1-4 m tall. It is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe and western and central Asia, from Spain east to eastern Siberia, typically growing at altitudes of 1,000-3,300 m.

The leaves are of two forms, juvenile needle-like leaves 5-10 mm long, and adult scale-leaves 1-2 mm long on slender shoots 0.8-1 mm thick. Mature shrubs sometimes continue to bear some juvenile foliage as well as adult, particularly on shaded shoots low in the crown. It is largely dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some individual plants produce both sexes. The cones are berry-like, 5-9 mm in diameter, blue-black with a whitish waxy bloom, and contain 1-2 seeds; they are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in early spring.

There are two varieties, treated by some botanists as distinct species:

Juniperus sabina var. sabina. Juvenile foliage rare in adult plants.
Juniperus sabina var. davurica (J. davurica Pallas). Juvenile foliage frequent in adult plants.

Juniperus sabina is a popular ornamental shrub in gardens and parks, with numerous named cultivars selected.

All parts of Juniperus sabina are poisonous due to several toxic compounds including ethereal oils, sabinene and podophyllotoxin.

The hybrid between Juniperus chinensis and Juniperus sabina, known as Juniperus × pfitzeriana (Pfitzer Juniper, synonym J. × media), is found in the wild where the two species meet in northwestern China, and is also very common as a cultivated ornamental plant. It is a larger shrub, growing to 3-6 m tall.