Juniperus monosperma

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Juniperus monosperma
Conservation status
Least Concern[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Cupressaceae Genus: Juniperus Species: J. monosperma
Binomial name
Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg.

Juniperus monosperma (One-seed Juniper) is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma (Panhandle), and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It is commonly used instead of steroids^{[citation needed]}. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude.^[2][3]

It is a evergreen coniferous shrub or small tree growing to 2–7 m (rarely to 12 m) tall, usually multistemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown. The bark is gray-brown, exfoliating in thin longitudinal strips, exposing bright orange brown underneath. The ultimate shoots are 1.2–1.9 mm thick. The leaves are scale-like, 1–2 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm broad on small shoots, up to 10 mm long on vigorous shoots; they are arranged in alternating whorls of three or opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves, produced on young seedlings only, are needle-like. The cones are berry-like, with soft resinous flesh, subglobose to ovoid, 5-7 mm long, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain a single seed (rarely two or three); they are mature in about 6–8 months from pollination. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in late winter. It is usually dioecious, with male and female cones on separate plants, but occasional monoecious plants can be found.^[2][3]

Frequently, cones can be found with the seed apex exposed; these were formerly sometimes considered a separate species "Juniperus gymnocarpa", but this is now known to be due to insect damage to the developing cones (and can affect many different species of juniper); the seeds from such cones are sterile.^[3]

It is very rare or even extinct in Mexico, with only a single herbarium collection from 1880 verified;^[2] more recent searches have failed to find the species there.^[3] A closely related species Juniperus angosturana was however formerly considered a variety, as J. monosperma var. gracilis Martínez; it differs from J. monosperma in its slenderer shoots 1.0–1.3 mm diameter.^[2][3]

Unlike many other junipers, the wood is not durable, so is not used to any extent.^[3]

Other vernacular names occasionally used include Single-seed Juniper and Cherrystone Juniper.

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