Juniperus taxifolia
Shima-muro, Hide [Japanese], Luchu juniper.
Syn: J. lutchuensis Koidz. 1918 (Farjon 1998).
Dioecious erect shrubs or small trees 1-3(-13) m tall. Branches ascending or horizontally spreading; branchlets dull brown, ascending, glabrous. Leaves 7-14 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, ternate, awl-shaped, base jointed, apex soft and obtuse, with one ridged green midrib and two white stomatiferous bands on upper surface, light green and slightly ridged on lower surface. Pollen cones ellipsoid, yellowish green, 3-4 mm long, 2 mm wide, with 4 layered ternate scales; scales widely ovate, apex acute. Seed cones on short stalks, densely clothed with small scale leaves, globose, green, ca. 2 mm in diam., consisting of 3 coalescent ovuliferous scales enveloping 3 ovules disposed alternately with the scales. Cones ripening in January to February of the third year, berry-like, globose, 8-9 mm in diameter, purple-brown, 3-seeded. Seeds ovoid, keeled, triangular in cross section, brown, ca. 5 mm long. Flowers February to March, solitary in axils of previous year's shoots (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).
Japan: Ogasawara Islands. Grows from near sea level to 300 m elevation, in sunny stony places (Iwatsuki et al. 1995).
Zone 9 (cold hardiness limit between -6.6°C and -1.1°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).
No data as of 2023.03.03.
Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.
Last Modified 2023-03-03
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